Erdogan Confirms His Intention to Improve Relations With Greece

ATHENS (Sputnik) - Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that he intends to strengthen relations with Greece and raise the level of bilateral relations to a historically unprecedented level.

At the same time, Erdogan noted that Ankara does not recognize the agreement on the delimitation of maritime jurisdiction between Cyprus and Israel, since it was concluded "between the Greek administration in southern Cyprus and Israel, and the rights and interests of the Turkish Cypriots - the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus - which are an important element of the island, were ignored."

"The goal is simple: by solving the problems, strengthen our friendship and raise the level of bilateral relations to a historically unprecedented level. To this end, we, Turkiye, have recently taken sincere and effective steps and intend to continue to do so," Erdogan said on Saturday in an interview with Greek newspaper Kathimerini on the eve of Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis’ visit to Ankara, scheduled for May 13.

The president also added that Turkiye's interests in exploitation of energy resources in the Eastern Mediterranean should not be ignored.

NATO allies Greece and Turkiye have been at odds for decades, with the risk of an armed conflict arising several times. The disputed issues include competing territorial claims in the eastern Mediterranean, in particular in the region of the Aegean Sea, the Greek-Turkish divide in Cyprus, and the delimitation of maritime boundaries. Turkiye has repeatedly accused Greece of deploying weapons on the Aegean Islands in violation of the 1923 Lausanne Treaty.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said at a meeting with Mitsotakis in Athens in early December 2023 that there are no issues between Turkiye and Greece that cannot be resolved. The Greek prime minister echoed these remarks, saying that Greece and Turkiye should live in peace, while disagreements should not immediately cause tensions.