Greek and Turkish FMs agree that they disagree on the crucial issue of the Aegean Sea

Greece sees only the demarcation of the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) as the only problem between the two countries, while Turkey usually meets its Greek counterparts with a long list of demands at hand.

The Foreign Ministers of Greece and Turkey agreed that they disagree on the crucial issue between the two neighboring countries, with the Greek FM Giorgos Gerapetritis to state that Turkey has different approach to the issues of the Aegean Sea.

Greece sees only the demarcation of the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) as the only problem between the two countries, while Turkey usually meets its Greek counterparts with a long list of demands at hand.

Despite the differences, however, the meeting between Gerapetritis with his Turkish counterpart, Hakan Fidan in Athens on Friday was held in a positive atmosphere as they assured in their joint statements.

“Even if we don’t find easy solutions we discuss”, Gerapetritis, said “we must be “aware of the need to a period of multiple crises and to contribute to peace,” stressed.

We had an “initial and frank discussion of a critical issue,” Gerapetritis noted, among others. He added “I do not claim that through dialogue the problems of the two countries were magically solved,” and underlined that there were also “difficult moments”, but there was also a “direct and honest channel of communication.”

He also emphasized that the contacts between the two countries acquire a normality, which should be the contacts between two neighbors.

He noted that the next round of discussions of the so-called positive agenda will take place in Athens on December 2 and 3, while he recalled that there have been six meetings between the two leaders and two rounds of political dialogue and positive agenda.

Calling the Greek FM “esteemed friend” Hakan Fidan said on his part that “Turkey-Greece relations are moving in a positive direction. Multidimensional cooperation in the fields of trade, tourism, culture is constantly being strengthened. We are making efforts to understand each other on critical issues and to contribute to the well-being of our peoples with the win win approach as established with the Mitsotakis-Erdogan meetings”.

He underlined “let’s take advantage of the historic opportunity in front of us and turn our eternal neighborhood into eternal friendship.”

He also mentioned the joint efforts to increase the volume of international trade to 10 billion, already within 2024 the 6 billion.

The Greek FM noted that the next round of discussions of the so-called “positive agenda” will take place in Athens on December 2 and 3, while he recalled that there have been six meetings between the two leaders and two rounds of political dialogue and positive agenda.