Today’s Zaman, Turkey
Nov 7 2009

Bagis heralds new era in bilateral relations between Greece, Turkey

Bagis announced the beginning of a new era in relations between Greece
and Turkey during an official visit to Athens, where he had talks with
PM Papandreou.

Describing his reception by Greek officials in Athens as `warm and
sincere,’ State Minister and chief EU negotiator Egemen Bagis said on
Friday a new era has begun in bilateral relations between Ankara and
Athens.

Bagis was speaking to Turkish reporters following his Thursday talks
with Prime Minister George Papandreou, who is also currently handling
his government’s foreign affairs, Alternate Foreign Minister Dimitris
Droutsas and former Foreign Minister Dora Bakoyannis during an
official visit to the Greek capital.

All of these meetings had a `positive atmosphere,’ Bagis said,
according to the Anatolia news agency, while also touching upon a
letter recently sent by prime Minister Recep Tayyip ErdoÄ?an to
Papandreou.

ErdoÄ?an offered to have a high-level consultancy meeting to discuss
bilateral problems between the two countries, he added.

According to a statement released by the Prime Ministry Press Office
on Wednesday, in his letter ErdoÄ?an highlighted his expectation for an
acceleration in the two countries’ bilateral cooperation on the
occasion of the new government in Athens. The Turkish government has
the will to improve relations with Greece in all fields and is ready
to deal with all current issues, ErdoÄ?an told Papandreou, while also
offering a series of proposals for creating new cooperation
opportunities within this framework, the office said, without
elaborating on the content of the proposals.

Bagis, speaking with Turkish daily ne-wspaper Hürriyet while in
Athens, elaborated on those proposals. Recalling Ankara’s support and
encouragement of Turkish Cypriot leader Mehmet Ali Talat to reach a
resolution in the ongoing reunification talks with Greek Cypriot
leader Dimitris Christofias, ErdoÄ?an requested the Papandreou
administration to do the same vis-Ã-vis the Christofias leadership
saying such approaches would eventually help reach a resolution, Bagis
told Hürriyet’s Fatih Ã?ekirge.

`We are ready for the solution of the Aegean issue. Turkey has been
assuming a zero-problem policy with its neighbors. Within this
framework, I offer establishing together a structure that will bring
our related ministers together for the solution of the Aegean issue,’
Bagis quoted the letter as saying, according to Hürriyet.

The daily also reported that Papandreou positively approached
ErdoÄ?an’s proposal to have a joint ministerial mechanism for resolving
the Aegean issue, while pledging his support and encouragement to
Greek Cypriot leadership to reach a resolution of the Cyprus issue.
Papandreou told Bagis that he would like to meet with ErdoÄ?an before a
key EU summit in December, during which leaders of the EU countries
must decide what to do about Turkey’s failure to implement its signed
obligation to open its ports to Greek Cypriot air and sea traffic,
Hürriyet also said.

Ankara apparently considers Papandreou’s term in office an opportunity
for a new high-level strategic relationship, as Papandreou championed
rapprochement between Greece and Turkey when he served as foreign
minister between 1999 and 2004. Last month, he paid his first foreign
trip to Turkey on the occasion of an informal meeting of the Southeast
European Cooperation Process (SEECP), hosted by Foreign Minister Ahmet
DavutoÄ?lu.

A rapprochement between Ankara and Athens actually started long before
Turkey’s efforts to normalize its relations with Syria, Iraq and
Armenia. The two countries came to the brink of war three times
between 1974 and 1996 over Aegean borders and the divided island
country of Cyprus.

The rapprochement between the Turkish and Greek peoples after the
devastating earthquakes each country suffered in 1999 provided another
incentive to intensify diplomatic efforts for the improvement of
bilateral relations. But occasional accusations of airspace and
territorial water violations as well as the Cyprus issue continue to
mar relations.

In 2002 Greek and Turkish diplomats began exploratory talks on their
disputes. Business deals have steadily increased and include a
pipeline link that will be used to carry natural gas from the Caspian
Sea to Western Europe. But the Aegean has remained a source of
tension.

Another issue has been illegal immigration. Tens of thousands of
illegal immigrants sneak into Greece each year, many heading to Greek
islands from the nearby Turkish coast. Greece has signed an agreement
with Turkey under which it can send back illegal immigrants who enter
from Turkey, but Greece says the agreement is often not enforced.

07 November 2009, Saturday
TODAY’S ZAMAN WITH WIRES ANKARA