Greece, Turkey to keep talking on maritime boundaries agenda
Greece and Turkey still disagree on the extent of issues needing to be tackled over the designation of their maritime boundaries but talks will continue, the Greek and Turkish foreign ministers said after meeting on Friday, according to Reuters.
Neighbours Greece and Turkey, NATO allies but historic foes, have long been at odds over issues including where their continental shelves start and end, energy resources, migration, flights over the Aegean Sea, and the ethnically partitioned island of Cyprus.
After years of tensions the two countries agreed in December last year on a roadmap to reboot relations. Greek Foreign Minister George Gerapetritis and Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, who met in Athens on Friday, have been exploring whether the two nations can start talks aimed at demarcating their maritime boundaries. The two ministers attempted an initial approach on a "tough and crucial issue" but their positions still differ and the issue would be discussed again at a future meeting, Gerapetritis said in a joint press conference with Fidan.
Greece says that the two countries only need to discuss the issue of designating an exclusive economic zone and continental shelf boundaries. Turkey recognises a positive momentum in relations but says that more issues need to be put on the table.
"There are many issues linked to each other in the Aegean that we need to work on and seek solutions for. We cannot group them all as solely maritime delimitation or exclusive economic zones," Fidan said.
Athens and Ankara say they want to keep channels of communication open, boost trade volumes and work on issues which have kept them apart, notably in the Aegean Sea. They also plan tighter cooperation on security and migration.
Greece and Turkish officials will hold another round of talks in Athens on Dec. 2-3, Gerapetritis said, as the two countries prepare for a high-level cooperation council in Turkey early next year. Both ministers said they hoped Ankara and Athens could resolve their issues through dialogue, before wrapping up the press conference with a rare hug on stage.
