Erdoan says Greek PM's visit aims to strengthen ties

ANKARA

President Recep Tayyip Erdoan said Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis' upcoming visit to Trkiye represents an opportunity to strengthen ties between Ankara and Athens.

“This visit is an important step in Greece-Greece relations,” Erdogan told a group of journalists in Istanbul on April 19.

The president said discussions at the meeting, scheduled for May 13 according to Greek daily Kathimerini, will focus on strategies to significantly improve bilateral relations.

The visit will follow a historic meeting held last December between Erdoan and the Greek Prime Minister, during which both leaders expressed their commitment to opening a “new page” in diplomatic relations.

The five-hour discussion, held on the sidelines of the first meeting of the high cooperation council between the two countries in seven years, marked a potential turning point in their historically tense relations.

During the meeting, Erdoan and Mitsotakis signed a non-binding declaration of friendship and good neighborliness. The agreement underlines the mutual intention to cultivate “a spirit of solidarity” in the face of common challenges, while reaffirming respect for each other's legal positions and endorsing the United Nations Charter as a cornerstone for maintaining peace and security. promotion of friendly cooperation.

In his remarks to reporters, Erdoan also discussed German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier's upcoming visit to Trkiye on April 22, marking his first official trip to Trkiye in his capacity as president. The visit coincides with the centenary of diplomatic relations between the two countries.

“We will discuss various political, military, economic and trade issues during our meetings with Steinmeier,” Erdoan said, emphasizing the importance of further strengthening relations between Germany and Trkiye.

In an April 18 speech in the capital Ankara, Erdoan called for increased action to end the ongoing conflict in Gaza.

“One of the biggest massacres of the last century has been taking place in Gaza for 195 days,” Erdoan said at a joint press conference following his talks with his Tanzanian counterpart Samia Suluhu Hassan.

During the discussions, the leaders deliberated not only on strengthening bilateral relations, but also on responding to “atrocities in the occupied Palestinian territories,” Erdoan said.

He also stressed the need for an urgent and permanent ceasefire, followed by immediate steps towards the implementation of a two-state solution.

“We must make more efforts to end the massacres in Gaza,” he said. “This week we saw that Western countries were able to react with one voice against Iran's retaliation. The same actors must now say 'stop' to Israel with one voice.”

Erdoan's remarks follow heightened tensions between Israel and Iran, following Tehran's unprecedented direct attack on Israel on April 13.

The attack, which involved hundreds of missiles and drones, was reportedly in retaliation for an earlier strike on the Iranian embassy in Damascus, which killed seven Revolutionary Guards, including two generals.

Separately, Erdoan is expected to meet Hamas political bureau chief Ismail Haniyeh in Istanbul this weekend, following the former's announcement during a parliamentary meeting of his ruling Justice Party and Development (AKP), April 17.

“The leader of the Palestinian cause will be my guest this weekend,” Erdoan said at the AKP meeting. “We will talk, we will share our grief on each other.”

Erdoan's support for Hamas drew appreciation from the Palestinian group, with a statement of gratitude issued by Hamas following the president's remarks.

Before his visit to Istanbul, Haniyeh held talks in Qatar with Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan. Fidan later revealed that Hamas was committed to functioning solely as a political entity after the establishment of the Palestinian state.

Meanwhile, the ninth humanitarian ship sent from Trkiye to Gaza docked at the Egyptian port of El Arish, carrying 3,774 tons of humanitarian aid materials. Led by the Turkish Red Crescent, the aid includes emergency supplies such as food, baby items and sleeping bags. Departing from the port of Mersin on April 16, the aid will be transported to the Rafah border post by trucks after unloading.

Once customs procedures are completed, the aid will be delivered to the Palestinian Red Crescent.

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