Dialogue channels between Turkey and Greece are more open today than ever before as Ankara fulfills its responsibilities and expects the same from Athens, Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu said Sunday.
Speaking to the Political, Economic and Social Research Foundation (SETA) think-tank based in the Turkish capital Ankara, Çavuşoğlu evaluated the bilateral relations between Turkey and Greece.
"We can say that the channels of dialogue with Greece are more open today than ever before," said Çavuşoğlu, mentioning that Turkey is in favor of a sincere dialogue to solve problems.
Noting that Ankara is working to move the positive agenda in economic and commercial relations even further, he stressed: "The positive agenda focused on cooperation in the economy began to show its positive effects on bilateral trade in 2021 and increased by 70% compared to 2020 to reach $5.2 billion."
"We hope that this positive agenda will create an environment in which we can sincerely discuss our bilateral issues with Greece.
"We are doing our part in this direction. We expect Greece to show the same sincerity and the same political will in this process," he added.
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.
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.
Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis’ visit to Turkey last month sent positive messages, as both leaders underlined the importance of dialogue between the two countries.
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.
Recalling the Antalya Diplomacy Forum which was held on March 11-13 in Turkey's southern province of Antalya, Çavuşoğlu pointed out that 17 heads of state and government, 80 ministers and 39 senior officials from international organizations participated.
"There were more than 3,000 participants from 75 countries; 40% of the countries in the world were represented at senior levels in Antalya," he said.
Emphasizing that the forum has turned into a "worldwide brand," he noted: "The ADF was almost like a small meeting of the U.N. General Assembly. Many different actors came together under the umbrella of the ADF," using an acronym for the forum.
Describing the diplomacy forum as part of Turkey's foreign policy, Çavuşoğlu underlined that "Turkey has become a global actor. Everyone agrees on the strength of Turkey and the role it plays internationally."
"Turkey's active, principled and fair attitude is appreciated by everyone," he said, recalling that the reason the Russian and Ukrainian diplomats had come together at the forum was the "trust put in Turkey."
"Turkey is a hope for the world. The expectations from Turkey are great. I see this in every contact I make with my colleagues in different regions," he said.
