UPDATE 2- Will do our best for eternal peace, stability in Turkish-Greek relations, says Turkish president

ADDS FURTHER REMARKS OF THE TURKISH PRESIDENT

By Ahmet Gencturk

ATHENS (AA) - We will do our best for eternal peace and stability to prevail in Turkish-Greek relations, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Sunday.

“It is up to us (Türkiye-Greece) to thaw bilateral relations, attempted to be squeezed between walls (of prejudice) which we should tear down," President Erdogan told Greek daily Kathimerini in an exclusive interview.

Praising the ongoing process of improvement in bilateral relations and stressing that Türkiye is sincerely committed to betterment in ties, Erdogan said: "Of course, there are issues on which we disagree. But there are also many issues on which we agree. Postponing to discuss to our dispute will not resolve them. We should be brave enough to address the sources of disagreements and move to resolve them."

He said the thaw in relations and agreements signed during his visit to Athens last December are already yielding concrete and positive results.

On a question about Greece's plan for establishing two maritime parks, one in the Ionian Sea and the other in the Aegean Sea, Erdogan underlined the importance of avoiding the fait accompli.

"We can talk about these issues by adopting an approach based on sincere commitment to resolution. However, the 'I did it and that's it' mentality would undermine this ground. Everyone knows how sensitive Türkiye is about environment protection.

"But it would not be right to see this as a useful cover and try to somehow hide other controversial situations behind it," he said.

- Hydrocarbon reserves

On the possibility of cooperation in the exploitation of hydrocarbon reserves in the region, Erdogan noted that Türkiye always advocated the fair and inclusive sharing of resources in the region.

Greece does not recognize the maritime border agreement between Türkiye and Libya. Ankara rejects similar agreements between Athens and Cairo.

"We respect the rights and authorities of other countries. However, we always reacted against the attempts to ignore Türkiye's rights and interests," he said.

"We made an open call and declared that a basis should be established for an inclusive energy cooperation and that we would support the steps in this scope.

"Everyone should know that it is difficult for an energy platform that does not include Turkey to be successful in the region, especially in the Eastern Mediterranean.

"It is possible to create a basis for a solution with a win-win approach by convening the Eastern Mediterranean conference, which we have been calling for years," he added.

Asked about the demarcation of maritime borders between Greece and Türkiye, which is one of the main sources of disputes between the two NATO allies, Erdogan said Türkiye does not exclude the option of taking the matter to international courts.

The Turkish president, however, stressed that the two countries should be committed to developing a holistic approach to resolve their disputes, instead of prioritizing one issue over others.

As we repeatedly stressed, our approach to finding solutions through peaceful methods in accordance with international law is the key to eliminating problems. We have full faith that focusing on concrete and constructive ideas will put us on the path to resolution," Erdogan said.

Commenting on visa facilitation by Greece towards Turkish citizens, which allows them to enter some Greek islands in the Aegean Sea under a simplified and fast procedure, Erdogan said: “This should not be even necessary and the EU should grant visa liberalization to Türkiye.”