Greece, Turkey seek to restart relations with meetings in Athens

7/12/2023 18:01

        Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan arrived in Athens on Thursday with a delegation of ministers for meetings with Greek counterparts that both countries hope can turn a new page in relations after years of friction.
        
        Greece and Turkey, neighbours and NATO allies, have been at odds for decades over issues including where their continental shelves start and end, energy resources, overflights of the Aegean Sea, and ethnically-split Cyprus.
        
        They reached the brink of war in the 1990s and over the past years they have argued over energy resources in the Eastern Mediterranean, defence issues, migration and the acquisition of fighter jets, which paused diplomatic talks.
        
        Relations improved after Greece sent aid to Turkey following a devastating earthquake in February. Both Erdogan and Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis' re-elections this year also eased political pressure and allowed them to put rivalry aside. A Greek government official said ahead of the Greece-Turkey fifth High-level Cooperation Council, "We want to give emphasis on a positive agenda that is mutually beneficial."