Greek Foreign Minister George Gerapetritis will pay a working visit to Türkiye on Sept. 5 as the ties between the two countries show some improvement after years of tensions.
According to a ministry statement, Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan and Gerapetritis will discuss bilateral relations and regional issues.
After years of escalation in tensions between the two neighbors, the diplomatic climate changed swiftly and significantly after twin earthquakes shook southeastern Türkiye on Feb. 6, affecting 13.5 million people and killing over 50,000.
Despite territorial and energy disputes exacerbating regional tensions, the two neighbors, situated on seismic fault lines, also have a tradition of helping each other in times of natural disasters and Greece was among the first countries to convey its condolences and offer aid after the disaster.
This show of solidarity by the Greek state and people in times of need and its wholehearted reception on the Turkish side "opened a window of opportunity" in bilateral relations.
Türkiye and Greece have often locked horns over several issues, including competing claims to jurisdiction in the Eastern Mediterranean, overlapping claims over their continental shelves, maritime boundaries, airspace, energy, the ethnically split island of Cyprus, the status of the islands in the Aegean Sea and migrants.
Earlier this month, Gerapetritis said Athens is "relatively" eager to enhance relations and political dialogue with Türkiye.
"We have had a process of getting together, at least of resetting, a more sincere and frank relationship with Türkiye," Gerapetritis told Egypt's Al Qahera TV in an interview on Aug. 3, which was released by the Greek Foreign Ministry on Monday.
Remarking that he and his Turkish counterpart Hakan Fidan have developed a channel of communication, he said: "What we want to do is to try to promote a positive agenda with issues of common interest, such as trade, economy, civil protection, tourism, the overall development of the two countries, and then work on our relationships."
Gerapetritis argued that the delimitation of maritime borders is a major difference between the two countries. "We are considering to refer this dispute to the International Court of Justice in the Hague," he said.
In July, the Greek foreign minister said Athens was prepared to start talks with Türkiye to resolve the long-standing issue over maritime borders.
