Turkish president, Greek premier affirm current climate in ties contributes to bolstering

Türkiye’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis on Monday affirmed their mutual belief that the current harmony in their bilateral relations significantly contributes to enhancing stability in the region.

Erdogan and Mitsotakis, who arrived in Ankara on a working visit, met “in a spirit of goodwill and cooperation,” according to a joint statement on the meeting shared by Türkiye’s Communications Directorate.

The two leaders reviewed the results of the 5th High-Level Cooperation Council, which was held in Athens on Dec. 7, 2023, and took stock of the progress in the meetings which had since taken place, based on the pillars of the political dialogue, the positive agenda and the confidence building measures, under the guidance of the Foreign Ministry, the statement said.

It added that the leaders welcomed the progress under Joint Action Plan, and also underscored its importance in building economic cooperation as a mainstay of the bilateral relationship.

“In this context, the two sides also welcomed the establishment of the Turkish-Greek Business Council, which will promote business cooperation based on specific and well-targeted sectors, and reaffirmed their commitment to double the trade volume between the two countries,” it said.

Recognizing the shared challenges posed by climate change and seismic risks in the region, and reflecting on the tragic earthquakes in Türkiye in February 2023, they expressed satisfaction with the finalization of a memorandum of understanding for cooperation on disaster and emergency management.

They also welcomed the signing of the agreement on cooperation in health and medical sciences.

The two leaders assigned their foreign ministers the responsibility of coordinating work for the meetings within the framework of the agreed roadmap.

“Both sides pledged their commitment to consolidating the current positive climate in line with the 2023 Athens Declaration on Friendly Relations and Good-Neighbourliness, exploring further areas of cooperation, continuing with regular exchanges, and maintaining effective communication channels at multiple levels for the benefit of both nations in an atmosphere of friendship and mutual trust,” the readout said.