Foreign Minister George Gerapetritis in an interview at the "OT Forum 2024", stressed that "it is extremely important to maintain a movement in Greek-Turkish relations, to have these contacts, which also define a framework for good bilateral relations."
He recalled that he will meet with his Turkish counterpart Hakan Fidan both in Brussels in the framework of the NATO Foreign Ministers' Conference and in Malta at the OSCE Foreign Ministers' Conference.
"We will have the opportunity to discuss further. These are issues which are currently at the forefront of Greek-Turkish relations, in particular the organization of the upcoming High Cooperation Council in Ankara. And that is why we will organise our further steps," he said.
He pointed out that no common ground has so far been found in the discussions on the debate on the "only issue that could be brought before international jurisdiction, which is the delimitation of the Exclusive Economic Zone and the continental shelf".
"Nevertheless, we have conquered the ability to discuss, even disagreeing," he said.
As Gerapetritis stressed, "it goes without saying that we would not expect in a period of just 16 months to resolve issues that go back decades and which have plagued relations between the two countries".
He pointed out that we are in a period of significant mobility on the Cyprus issue and that the improvement in Greek-Turkish relations has been instrumental in enabling the resumption of the Cyprus talks under the auspices of the UN.
"The view adopted by the government and its collective bodies, the Council of Ministers and the Government Council for Foreign Affairs and Defense (KYSEA), is that the era of inaction and inertia has not been beneficial," he said.
He stressed that Greece is at the absolute centre of international developments, while "it has the privilege in difficult times to talk to everyone, to be the real bridge between North, South, East and West, to maintain a principled stance, which is appreciated by everyone".