President Erdoğan's statement on Greece: There is no unsolvable problem with good will

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis made important statements following the signing ceremony.

Here are the highlights from Erdoğan's statements:

TARGET OF 10 BILLION DOLLARS IN BILATERAL TRADE

I would like to welcome Prime Minister Mr. Mitsotakis and his delegation to our country once again in your presence. As you know, we visited Athens on December 7, 2023, for the fifth meeting of our High-Level Cooperation Council. During this visit, we recorded our consensus on keeping dialogue channels open and developing our relations with the Athens Declaration. Today, we thoroughly evaluated how we can move our relations forward through positive agenda items.

We see that high-level contacts offer us a favorable ground in this sense. I hope that the documents we accepted a moment ago will further consolidate the foundation of our relations. We continue to work towards our goal of increasing our bilateral trade, which reached approximately 7 billion dollars last year, to 10 billion dollars.

Today, the business councils of the two countries also came together to evaluate business opportunities. In our meeting with the Prime Minister, we once again addressed our positions regarding the Aegean and the Eastern Mediterranean in a clear and sincere manner. We have been advocating the following on this issue for a long time.

"THERE IS NO UNSOLVABLE PROBLEM WITH GOOD WILL"

While current issues are complex, they are not unsolvable on the basis of international law. As long as there is good will, constructive dialogue, and the will to find a solution. I am pleased to see that my dear friend Kyriakos and I agree on this matter. Just like the momentum we have achieved in all other areas of our relations since 2023, I believe that progress can be made in resolving the interconnected problems in the Aegean.

Today, I also shared our expectations regarding the fight against terrorism and organized crime with the Prime Minister once again. We need to act with a sense of historical responsibility regarding the minorities that constitute the human element of our relations. I shared our expectations with the Prime Minister regarding the full enjoyment of religious freedoms and educational opportunities by the Western Thrace Turkish minority.

Distinguished members of the press, Turkey and Greece, two NATO allies, are facing many developments that pose a threat to security and stability. As Turkey, we believe that our participation in the defense initiatives recently launched in Europe is in our mutual interest.

"WE EVALUATED REGIONAL DEVELOPMENTS"

Together with the Prime Minister, we also evaluated regional developments, primarily the ceasefire process and the peace plan in Gaza. We reject Israel's recent decisions to expand its control in the West Bank and weaken the Palestinian administration.

In this regard, the position of our country and brotherly countries, like that of the world's leading nations, is clear. On this occasion, I would like to emphasize this in particular. Lasting peace and stability in the Middle East depend on finding a fair solution to the Palestinian issue on the basis of two states.

We will continue to defend this position. I believe that Greece, which is a non-permanent member of the United Nations Security Council for the 2025-2026 term, will keep the two-state solution perspective on the Council's agenda for the benefit of our region.

Likewise, we touched upon what can be done to establish stability in Syria and for this brotherly country to rapidly reach a position that contributes to peace in the region. It is clear how important the constructive role we have undertaken in this regard is, not only for Syria itself but also for the security of Greece and Europe.

AGREEMENTS SIGNED BETWEEN TURKEY AND GREECE

Agreements were signed between Turkey and Greece in the fields of investment, maritime trade, economic cooperation, earthquakes, culture, science, and technology.

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis chaired the Inter-Delegation Meeting Session of the 6th Turkey-Greece High-Level Cooperation Council following their bilateral meeting.

Following the session, a signing ceremony for the agreements between the two countries was held. President Erdoğan and Mitsotakis signed the Joint Declaration between the Government of the Republic of Turkey and the Government of the Hellenic Republic.

The Memorandum of Understanding on Cooperation between the Investment and Finance Office of the Presidency of the Republic of Turkey and the Enterprise Greece was signed by the Head of the Investment and Finance Office of the Presidency, Burak Dağlıoğlu, and the Greek Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Haris Theoharis.

The Memorandum of Understanding on Encouraging the Launch of Ro-Ro Services between the Port of İzmir and the Port of Thessaloniki was signed by Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Mehmet Kemal Bozay and Theoharis.

The Memorandum of Understanding on Strengthening Cooperation within the Framework of the Organization of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation was signed by Bozay and Theoharis.

The Memorandum of Understanding on Strengthening Bilateral Cooperation on Earthquake Preparedness was signed by Minister of Interior Mustafa Çiftçi and Greek Minister of Climate Crisis and Civil Protection Ioannis Kefalogiannis.

The Memorandum of Understanding on Cooperation in the Field of Culture was signed by Minister of Culture and Tourism Mehmet Nuri Ersoy and Greek Minister of Culture Lina Mendoni.

The Joint Declaration of Intent on Cooperation in the Field of Science and Technology between the Ministry of Industry and Technology of the Republic of Turkey and the Ministry of Development of the Hellenic Republic was signed by Minister of Industry and Technology Mehmet Fatih Kacır and Greek Minister of Development Takis Theodorikakos.

News Source: 12punto