Greek Foreign Minister George Gerapetritis said that Greece and Turkey would continue to dialogue even when the two nations failed to reach easy solutions on pending disputes during a joint press conference with his Turkish counterpart, Hakan Fidan at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Athens on Friday morning.
Gerapetritis emphasized the while the meeting with his Turkish colleague, who arrived in Athens for an official visit, was held in «a sincere climate», the «thorny issues did not magically disappear», adding that the discussion was direct and kept open an «honest channel of communication».
The Greek Foreign Minister stressed that the next round of talks, the «positive agenda», issues mainly focusing on low intensity matters, would take place in Athens on December 2-3.
The Greek Foreign Minister added that the contacts between the two countries were entering a period of normalcy.
On his part, Hakan Fidan said the relations between the two countries were moving in the right direction, underlining the reinforced bilateral cooperation in the sectors of tourism, trade and culture.
«We made efforts to understand each other on crucial issues and contribute to the prosperity of our citizens with the ‘win-win’ approach», the Turkish Minister noted.
Fidan went on to say it was a «historic opportunity» to change «our eternal neighborhood into an eternal friendship».
Finally, he commented on the common efforts to increase the trade volume from €6 to €10 billion.
While substantial progress remains unlikely in the short term, further discussions are anticipated as the ministers prepare for the High-Level Cooperation Council between Greece and Turkey, set to convene in Turkey in early 2025.
