President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan extended get well soon wishes to Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, who tested positive for COVID-19 after returning from an official visit to Turkey.
Erdoğan wished Mitsotakis a swift recovery, the Presidential Communications Directorate said.
Mitsotakis thanked Erdoğan for his hospitality in Istanbul, where the two leaders had a meeting on Sunday.
He also thanked Erdoğan for his call and "kind wishes for a speedy recovery" in a post on Twitter.
Thank you President @RTErdogan for your call and your kind wishes for a speedy recovery!
— Prime Minister GR (@PrimeministerGR) March 14, 2022
The two leaders agreed in Istanbul to improve bilateral relations and to focus on a positive agenda.
The meeting focused on the regional benefits of enhancing bilateral cooperation and emphasizing positive developments between the two countries.
They also agreed to keep communication channels open and improve bilateral relations despite disagreements between Turkey and Greece, the statement said.
Turkey and Greece have been at odds due to several issues. Turkey, which has the longest continental coastline in the Eastern Mediterranean, has rejected maritime boundary claims made by Greece and the Greek Cypriot administration. It has stressed that these excessive claims violate the sovereign rights of both Turkey and the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC). Instead of opting to solve problems with Turkey through dialogue, Greece, on several occasions, has refused to sit at the negotiation table and chosen to rally the European Union to take a tougher stance against Ankara.
