President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said Türkiye and Greece are committed to advancing dialogue and cooperation as both neighbors pursue a more stable period in bilateral relations.
Speaking at a joint news conference with Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, Erdoğan stressed that the two countries must keep communication channels open “as two neighboring allies committed to cooperation.”
Erdoğan said he conveyed to Mitsotakis Türkiye’s expectation that the Turkish minority in Western Thrace fully enjoy their religious freedoms and educational rights. He underscored that these rights form the human dimension of the two countries’ relationship and must be protected with a sense of “historic responsibility.”
On longstanding disputes in the Aegean and Eastern Mediterranean, Erdoğan said that although the issues are complex, they are not “unsolvable” when approached through international law. He added that he and Mitsotakis are “on the same page” in their view that diplomatic engagement remains the most constructive path forward.
Mitsotakis received a warm welcome as Ankara sees the brighter side in bilateral ties. Mitsotakis was in Türkiye for the 6th High-Level Cooperation Council that aims to improve occasionally strained ties between the two neighbors.
Athens and Ankara have tried to overcome their differences in recent years, leaving behind a troubled past. Last month, diplomats from the two countries came together in the Greek capital for a “positive agenda” meeting.
Tensions have flared intermittently in recent years between the historic rivals, who remain divided over where their continental shelves begin and end in the Aegean, an area believed to hold significant energy potential and linked to disputes over airspace and overflights.
