The Greek Minister of Foreign Affairs Giorgos Gerapetritis had a meeting with the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Turkey, Hakan Fidan, on Monday, on the sidelines of the EU Foreign Affairs Council in Luxembourg.

The two Ministers discussed bilateral relations, as well as recent regional and international developments. They exchanged views on developments in the Middle East and the importance of maintaining the ceasefire and fully implementing the first phase of the Gaza peace plan, for the benefit of regional stability.

In the context of the meeting between the two men, Mr. Gerapetritis reiterated that the delimitation of the Exclusive Economic Zone and continental shelf is the only difference between Greece and Turkeywhile issues of sovereignty are out of the question.

The Foreign Ministers also referred to the situation in the Eastern Mediterranean. Mr Gerapetritis informed his Turkish counterpart about the Greek proposal of the meeting of five coastal countries of the region –polymer shape 5X5- and emphasized that the establishment of such a cooperation scheme becomes useful due to the major geopolitical realignments worldwide.

The Minister of Foreign Affairs informed about the position of Greece regarding the European defense industry and its commitment to building a stronger, more resilient and strategically autonomous Europe.

The two Ministers discussed the latest developments in the occupied territories and the upcoming informal extended meeting on the Cyprus issue, which is expected to be held until the end of 2025. In this context, Mr. Gerapetritis underlined that the appointment of Tufan Erhuman as the new leader of the Turkish Cypriots opens a new chapter of hope and expectation for the reunification of the island based on the Resolutions of the UN Security Council.