The meeting between President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis focused on the regional benefits of enhancing bilateral cooperation and emphasis on positive developments between the two countries on Sunday.
According to a statement by the presidential communications directorate, the two leaders also highlighted the idea that Turkey and Greece have a special responsibility in building Europe’s security in the face of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
They also agreed on keeping communication channels open and improving bilateral relations despite disagreements between Turkey and Greece, the statement said.
Touching on the steps taken by Turkey to turn a new page in relations with Greece, Erdoğan said he believes they will take steps to address problems in the Aegean Sea, minorities, counterterrorism initiatives, irregular migration and more.
Noting that the problems can be solved through sincere and honest dialogue, Erdoğan said the two neighboring countries need to always keep in touch and just during crises.
The luncheon started at 2.00 p.m. local time (1100GMT) at the Vahdettin Mansion. The meeting was held behind doors.
According to a statement released by Ankara, bilateral relations and regional issues would be discussed during the reception.
"The meeting is expected to evaluate issues related to bilateral relations, as well as current geopolitical developments and regional and international issues, including the reflections of the Russia-Ukraine War," it added.
The meeting comes as Ankara seeks to shore up its credentials as a regional power player by mediating the conflict.
On Thursday, the Turkish resort city of Antalya hosted the first talks between Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba since the start of Russia's invasion.
However, Ukraine's Dmytro Kuleba said the meeting yielded "no progress" in achieving a cease-fire to the fighting that has displaced 2.2 million people and forced them to flee across Ukraine's borders. Meanwhile, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said Moscow wanted to continue negotiations with Kyiv.
Turkey stressed that humanitarian corridors in Ukraine should be kept open without any obstacles, Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu said underlining the need for a sustainable cease-fire.
Earlier on Sunday, Mitsotakis attended a service at Istanbul's Fener Greek Orthodox Patriarchate and met with the Istanbul-based Greek Orthodox Patriarch Bartholomew.
The Greek government spokesperson this week said Mitsotakis was already due to visit Patriarch Bartholomew on Sunday and had been invited for lunch by Erdoğan at the presidential mansion on the banks of the Bosphorus.
"As partners in NATO, we are called upon ... to try to keep our region away from any additional geopolitical crisis," he told a Cabinet meeting on Wednesday.
“It’s our long-standing position that the door to dialogue must remain open, just as the door to threats must remain closed,” Mitsotakis also said of his scheduled meeting with Erdoğan.
Alongside its European partners, Athens strongly condemned the Russian invasion of Ukraine on Feb. 24, calling it a "revisionist" attack and "flagrant violation of international law."
NATO allies and neighbors Turkey and Greece are at odds over a number of issues, including competing claims over jurisdiction in the Eastern Mediterranean, air space, energy, the ethnically split island of Cyprus and the status of the islands in the Aegean Sea.
A dispute over drilling rights for potential oil and gas deposits in the Eastern Mediterranean Sea led to a tense naval standoff in the summer of 2020. Greece has since embarked on a major military modernization program.
But the two countries also cooperate on energy projects, including a newly built pipeline that transports natural gas from Azerbaijan to Western Europe. The pipeline, which crosses Turkey and Greece, is part of Europe's effort to reduce dependence on Russian energy.
Turkey, which has the longest continental coastline in the Eastern Mediterranean, has rejected maritime boundary claims by Greece and the Greek Cypriot administration, stressing that their excessive claims violate the sovereign rights of Turkey and the Turkish Cypriots.
Turkish leaders have repeatedly stressed that Ankara is in favor of resolving outstanding problems in the region through international law, good neighborly relations, dialogue and negotiations.
Senior Turkish officials continue to question Greek sovereignty over parts of the Aegean Sea but, last year, Ankara resumed bilateral talks with Athens.
