NATO members Greece and Turkey pledge to ‘reset’ ties and bypass longstanding disputes
ATHENS, Greece (AP) — Greece is ready to “reset” relations with neighbor Turkey in an effort to bypass decades-old disputes between the two NATO members, Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said Wednesday.
Mitsotakis held an hourlong meeting Wednesday with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on the sidelines of a NATO summit in Vilnius, Lithuania, and told reporters they had agreed to continue high-level contacts.
“Our problems have not been magically resolved,” Mitsotakis said. “But today’s meeting confirmed my intention and that of President Erdogan to reset Greek-Turkish relations.”
Greece’s conservative government has won a vote of confidence in Parliament to start its second four-year term.
Greece’s conservative government is promising to continue a multi-billion euro defense modernization program during its second term in office, setting its sights on acquiring F-35 fighter jets in five years.
Greece’s newly appointed defense minister has welcomed a de-escalation of tensions in the eastern Mediterranean.
Greece’s newly-appointed foreign minister says his country is ready to start talks with Turkey to resolve a long-standing dispute over maritime borders that has repeatedly brought the two neighbors to the brink of armed conflict.
Cabinet ministers from the two sides are due to meet after the summer in the northern Greek city of Thessaloniki, Mitsotakis said.
Wednesday’s talks were held a day after Turkey dropped its objections to Sweden’s membership in NATO and signaled further willingness to lower tension with Western nations, including Greece.
Turkey and Greece remain at odds over maritime boundaries in the eastern Mediterranean, a dispute that affects illegal migration into the European Union, mineral rights, and the projection of military power.
Both NATO members are seeking to upgrade their air forces with assistance from the United States: Ankara wants new and upgraded F-16 fighter jets, while Athens is keen to join the F-35 program.
The defense ministers of Greece and Turkey, Nikos Dendias and Yasar Guler, held a separate meeting in Vilnius on Wednesday.
