His satisfaction with the climate of cooperation that “we have achieved” in just a few months to be established between the governments of Athens and Ankara, expressed the Minister of Foreign Affairs Giorgos Gerapetritis, while for his part the Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan stated that a new and positive era has begun in the bilateral relations of the two countries during the statements after the end of their meeting in Ankara.

Mr Gerapetritis stated that they decided to restart the political dialogue, the positive agenda and confidence building measures, while the key points will be first of all the meeting that Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan will have on September 18 , the political dialogue, which will start under the responsibility, from the Greek side, of Deputy Minister Alexandra Papadopoulou, on October 16, and the organization after 7 years of the Supreme Cooperation Council in Thessaloniki, until the end of the year, with the participation of officials from both sides for various areas of bilateral ministerial cooperation.

It is necessary “to build on what unites us and to better understand what divides us”, noted Mr. Gerapetritis.

“I believe that we share the need to further promote these universal values ​​and to establish relations of cordial coexistence and tolerance with mutual respect for the equality, sovereignty and territorial integrity of states, as well as non-interference in internal affairs,” he said and emphasized:

“A climate based on mutual understanding and respect that keeps open a direct channel of communication that allows de-escalation of crises and the establishment of solid bases for discussions at all levels. Relations that we want to develop on the basis of the principles of international law and in particular the Charter of the United Nations, such as above all the maintenance of international peace and security, friendly cooperation between states”.

As the Greek minister pointed out, with his Turkish counterpart, they agreed that the road map will include the following three levels:

“Firstthe level of the political dialogue, which will start under the responsibility, from the Greek side, of Deputy Minister Alexandra Papadopoulou on October 16.

Secondlythe level of implementation and strengthening of the MOUs that will start in the immediate future.

Thirdlythe level of talks for the promotion of the positive agenda, under the responsible deputy minister Costas Fragogianni, in cooperation that will concern sectors such as investments, agriculture, tourism, trade, shipping, the climate crisis”.

“In Vilnius, Lithuania, the leaders of the two countries agreed to resume the thread of Greek-Turkish relations and promote cooperation between us. They entrusted us, the foreign ministers, to take over the political guidance of this process”, he noted.

The mission of the two ministers, as he pointed out, is:

“First, let’s resolve the cutting-edge issues that arise between our two countries and decompress tensions, in order to prevent potentially dangerous situations.

Second, to direct the discussions taking place between the two sides at all levels, i.e. political dialogue, positive agenda and confidence building measures, so that there is continuous monitoring, unified approach and high accountability to produce beneficial and tangible results .

Third, to prepare the contacts of the two leaders so that a lasting strong political mandate and legitimacy at the highest level emerges.

“The experience of recent years has demonstrated most emphatically that external crises are becoming the norm rather than the exception, which highlights the value of cooperation. Dealing with the pandemic, natural disasters, the energy crisis and food insecurity are important examples of areas where we can cooperate for the common good”, he underlined.

Regarding the Cyprus issue, Mr. Gerapetritis pointed out that “our positions are known. A critical and necessary step is the immediate restart of the talks.”

Regarding Turkey’s European perspective, he noted that “Greece has been consistently supporting it for a long time, ensuring that the prerequisite criteria are met, in accordance with the relevant decisions of the European Council”.

“This course had difficulties. I look forward to a cordial cooperation for the progress of the negotiations”, he emphasized.

In relation to minorities, “we spoke and highlighted the issues that concern them. For us, they are bridges of cooperation and all our citizens in Greece enjoy equality and equal citizenship”.

On immigration, “it is in our common interest to work together to control irregular immigration and fight illegal trafficking networks that exploit human suffering.”

“A necessary condition for the management of immigration, as well as any other related issue, is to deal with the regional crises in our region that cause destabilization in our wider region” pointed out Mr. Gerapetritis.

He noted that the developments in the wider region of the Eastern Mediterranean, Syria, Libya and Ukraine were discussed.

“It is important for our bilateral relations to maintain the climate of calm in our region by refraining from aggressive rhetoric and unilateral actions that may undermine the approach we are attempting. This will contribute substantially to our bilateral discussions, but it is also necessary for the greater good of our well-being.”

“The responsibility we shoulder is commensurate with the historic opportunity presented to both governments to consolidate a long relationship of good neighborliness for the mutual benefit of our peoples and a sustainable state of peace in our wider region,” underlined Mr. Gerapetritis.

“We know that the distances created over time and the passions inherited from generation to generation are not erased at once. But we have the disposition and the will to invest in honesty and mutual understanding in order to look for common ground and to break established perceptions and where there are disagreements, at least not to cause crises” said the Greek Foreign Minister and added:

“Achieving this requires adherence to universal and fundamental values, such as the strict and universal application of international law.”

“The Greek government will exude honesty in discussions with the Turkish government and respect for the two peoples. I believe the same will happen on the Turkish side,” he said and concluded:

“To build on what unites us and better understand what divides us. With a vision of the safety and well-being of the two peoples, but also of future generations”.

For his part, the Turkish Foreign Minister, Hakan Fidansent the message that Ankara is ready to continue the dialogue and develop its relations with Greece and that it has “started a new and positive era” in bilateral relations and added that the development of dialogue and communication is a positive development of the two countries, Hakan Fidan noted and underlined: “We can resolve our differences with mutual respect for rights and interests, under the basis of International Law.”

Referring to the meeting, the Turkish Foreign Minister described it as fruitful, said that the mutual will to continue contacts was confirmed and expressed the belief that the problems can be resolved through constructive dialogue.

Focusing further on the meeting, he said they assessed “comprehensively our problems regarding the Aegean and the Eastern Mediterranean” and added: “We have differences of opinion in the Aegean. We discussed these issues in exploratory talks.”

Regarding the Eastern Mediterranean, he said that Turkey supports it “principle of fair distribution».

He also mentioned that they also exchanged views on the Cyprus issue and that Turkey’s positions are known, without referring to them.

In addition, Hakan Fidan pointed out that he discussed with Mr. Gerapetritis the steps that can be implemented for the development of bilateral trade, tourism and economic relations.

Referring to the meeting of Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis with President Erdoğan last July, on the sidelines of the NATO summit in Vilnius, Lithuania, he noted that it took place in a positive atmosphere and that there was “identification of views on the resolution of disputes, through dialogue”. “Today we followed the issues discussed by the two leaders in that meeting”, he pointed out and added that they studied the road map for the coming months.

Starting the statements, Hakan Fidan welcomed Greek Foreign Minister Giorgos Gerapetritis, speaking of an excellent academic and jurist, and thanked the Greek government and the Greek people for the helping hand they gave during the devastating earthquakes in Turkey. He also expressed his support for the fires that occurred in Greece and underlined Turkey’s readiness to always help.

Afterwards, Hakan Fidan stated that Turkey “expects effective cooperation from its neighbor in its fight against terrorist organizations”.

Regarding immigration, he said that it should not be a field of competition, but of cooperation.

He also noted that Turkey attaches great importance to the protection of cultural heritage.

Finally, he mentioned that they also discussed regional issues, such as the developments in Ukraine and Libya.