Minister of Foreign Affairs Mr. George Gerapetritis’ statement following the meeting with his Turkish counterpart, Mr. Hakan Fidan (Ankara, 05.09.2023)

I would like to thank Foreign Minister, Mr. Fidan, for his warm welcome and hospitality at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Türkiye.

First of all, I would like to express my satisfaction with the spirit of cooperation that we have achieved to build within just a few months since the swearing-in of our two countries’ governments. A spirit of cooperation based on mutual understanding and respect, through which an open channel of communication is maintained that facilitates de-escalation of crises and lays a solid basis for discussions at all levels.

Today, I visited Ankara to discuss with my Turkish counterpart about our bilateral relations.

Relations that we aim to develop on the basis of International Law, and particularly the UN Charter, primarily focusing on the maintenance of international peace and security and the friendly cooperation among states. I believe we both share the need to further promote these universal values and foster relations of sincere coexistence and tolerance, with mutual respect for equality, state sovereignty and territorial integrity as well as for the principle of non-intervention in domestic affairs.

The experience of recent years has emphatically demonstrated that external crises have become a commonplace. This highlights the value of coordination and cooperation. Addressing the pandemic, natural disasters, the energy crisis and food insecurity are just a few but significant examples of areas in which we can work together for the common good.

In this spirit, during our meeting, we discussed our bilateral relations as well as issues of wider regional interest.

The leaders of Greece and Türkiye agreed in Vilnius, Lithuania, to pick up again the threads of Greek-Turkish relations and promote mutual cooperation.

And we, the two Foreign Ministers, have been entrusted with undertaking the political guidance of this process.

This is precisely our mission:

First, to address the major issues that arise between our countries, so that tensions be reduced and potentially dangerous situations be prevented.

Second, to guide the discussions between the two sides at all levels, namely the political dialogue, the positive agenda and the Confidence Building Measures, so that there is continuous monitoring, a single approach and a high level of accountability for delivering beneficial and tangible results.

Thirdly, we prepare the meetings of our two leaders so that a strong and continuous political mandate and legitimacy at the highest level emerge.

During our discussions with Foreign Minister, Mr. Fidan, we agreed that our roadmap for the coming period will include the following three levels:

First, political dialogue, which will be launched on October 16th, under the responsibility, from the Greek side, of the Deputy Minister Alexandra Papadopoulou.
Secondly, the implementation and strengthening of the Confidence Building Measures, which will commence in the immediate future.

Thirdly, talks to promote the positive agenda of cooperation under the Deputy Minister, Mr. Kostas Fragogiannis, in sectors such as tourism, investments, agriculture, trade, shipping, climate change.

Of course, key points in this process will be the following:

Firstly, the meeting between the two leaders, President Erdogan and Prime Minister Mitsotakis, in New York on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly on September 18th.

Moreover, the preparation of the High Council of Cooperation between Greece and Türkiye, which will convene by the end of this year, after 7 years, with the participation of both countries’ competent Ministers responsible for bilateral cooperation on various sectors.

Our discussion also included issues such as the Cyprus issue, Türkiye's European perspective and migration.

As far as the Cyprus issue is concerned, our position is well known. A crucial and necessary step is the immediate resumption of talks.

Regarding Türkiye’s European perspective, Greece has long and consistently supported the country's accession process, which must meet certain conditions in line with the relevant European Council decisions. Indeed, this path is filled with challenges. I look forward to a fruitful cooperation for the progress of the negotiations.

As regards minorities, we discussed and highlighted the issues related to them. For us, minorities serve as a bridge of cooperation. All our citizens in Greece enjoy full equality before the law.

Lastly, we addressed the migration issue. It is in our mutual interest to collaborate on controlling irregular migration and combating illegal trafficking networks, which profit from human suffering.

In fact, an essential prerequisite for managing both the migration and any other related issue is to address regional crises having destabilizing effects on our region.

We also had the opportunity today to discuss developments in the broader Eastern Mediterranean, the situation in Syria and Libya and the ongoing Russian aggression in Ukraine.

It is precisely within the context of regional stability that it is important for our bilateral relations to preserve the peaceful atmosphere in our region, refraining from aggressive rhetoric and unilateral actions that could undermine the rapprochement we are both pursuing. This will substantially contribute to our bilateral discussions, and is also necessary for our prosperity.

The responsibility we bear is commensurate with the historic opportunity presented to both governments to establish a long-lasting relationship of good neighbourly relations for the mutual benefit of our peoples and a long-lasting peace in our broader region.

We do not set utopian goals. We are aware of the fact that distances created over time and passions inherited from generation to generation cannot be erased overnight.

We are, however, willing and ready to invest in honesty and mutual understanding. To seek common ground and shatter entrenched perceptions. And disagreements should not be allowed to escalate into crises.

Achieving this requires adherence to universal and fundamental values, most notably the strict and universal implementation of International Law.

The Greek government will be guided by honesty in its discussions with the Turkish government and by respect for our peoples. I believe the same will occur on the part of the Turkish government. Let us build on what unites us and better understand what divides us, with a vision of safeguarding security and prosperity for both peoples and future generations.

Thank you again, Minister, dear friend Hakan. I look forward to our cooperation.

Thank you.