On Thursday, Greece and Turkey resumed high-level negotiations to reduce the chronic tensions that have been present in their relationship. This occurred at the same time that the Turkish president visited Athens for the first time in six years.
Turkey and Greece commit to improving their relations. During an appearance in the media with the Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, Recep Tayyip Erdogan said, “There is no problem that cannot be solved between us.” He said he wanted to transform “the Aegean into a sea of peace and cooperation.”
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Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said, “We want to develop the positive momentum in our relations further.” Erdogan was in Athens for the first visit since 2017, after a protracted period of tension characterized by disagreements on migration, energy development in the Aegean, and territorial sovereignty for the country.
Earlier, Erdogan had cast doubt on treaties that had been in place for a century and established the sovereignty of the Aegean region. Additionally, Turkish and Greek jets often mock dogfights in contested airspace.
The development of oil riches in the eastern Mediterranean has further complicated relations, with Ankara infuriating Athens in 2019 by signing a contentious maritime zone arrangement with Libya. Turkey’s actions have further strained relations.
In the previous year, Erdogan accused Greece of “occupying” the islands in the Aegean Sea and warned, saying, “As we say, we may come suddenly next night.” Because of the tension, Mitsotakis announced that he would be increasing the amount of navy and air force equipment and signing defense agreements with France and the United States.