Thaw with Türkiye has yielded positive, tangible results: Greek foreign minister

By Ahmet Gencturk

ATHENS (AA) – Greece’s thaw in relations with Türkiye has produced positive and tangible results, Foreign Minister George Gerapetritis said Thursday.

“We will continue to have good cooperation in immigration, good cooperation in entrepreneurship, good cooperation so that actions such as the one currently taking place with the on-site visa on 10 islands for Turkish visitors are introduced, which have revitalized the concerned local economies,” he said in an interview with broadcaster SKAI TV.

However, Gerapetritis emphasized that both countries remain committed to their positions involving major issues, including the delimitation of maritime borders, and it will take time and efforts to finally resolve them.

“Neither Greece nor Türkiye are going to deviate from their fundamental positions. We would be completely naive and it would be excessive to assume that at some point they will abandon their positions. But what we are trying to do is, on the one hand, keep a level of calmness in our relations, and on the other hand to gradually touch on issues of high difficulty to have long-lasting peace in the region,” he said.

“A long-lasting, sustainable peace cannot be achieved with Türkiye unless the major underlying issue is resolved; the one issue that can be brought before international jurisdiction: the delimitation of the Exclusive Economic Zone and continental shelf,” he added.

Turning to the latest developments in the Middle East, including the assassinations of Hamas political chief Ismail Haniyeh in the Iranian capital Tehran and top Hezbollah commander Fuad Shukr in the Lebanese capital Beirut, Gerapetritis said the region has entered the most challenging phase of the post-Oct. 7 period.

“We will have to see whether the actions that have been taken create ‘domino’ conditions for the wider region. Let's see if the three components -- Hezbollah, the Houthis and Hamas -- will coordinate strikes, which will be either inside or outside Israel. And what will Israel's reaction be? What must be avoided in any way is a further expansion, which would create an endless tug-of-war.”