Athens, Oct. 16, (dpa/GNA) – Greece and Turkey began talks on rapprochement after years of tension with a meeting in Athens on Monday between their respective deputy foreign ministers.
Monday’s talks between Konstantinos Fragogiannis of Greece and Burak Akcapar of Turkey, which were also attended by experts from both sides, were aimed at finding areas where the
two NATO members can cooperate on economic issues. Tourism, energy, the environment and civil protection were expected to be on the agenda, according to Greek government sources.
On Tuesday, the talks are set to move to more controversial themes, including sovereignty in the Aegean and Eastern Mediterranean and migration.
There were no expectations of specific results from the talks, Greek radio reported, citing government sources in Athens.
Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan agreed to seek rapprochement during a meeting on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly on September 20.
The move comes after years of political tension between the two countries. Key points of difference include sovereignty over islands in the Aegean and the exploitation of raw materials in the region, such as natural gas.
If all goes well, the two governments are to meet in the Greek port city of Thessaloniki on December 7.
GNA