"We can move forward and lead to peace and prosperity only if we work together," Greece’s Ambassador to Türkiye Theodoros Bizakis said Monday.

Speaking at a reception of the country's Independence Day in the capital Ankara, Bizakis said: "Our bilateral relations have seen fluctuations, which at times have threatened them in a dangerous way and with them also the security and peace in the Eastern Mediterranean. This is why it is extremely important that the two countries have decided to pursue a new course."

Bizakis reiterated that the Athens Declaration on Friendly Relations and Good Neighbourliness was signed 100 years after the signing of the Treaty of Lausanne in December.

In December, along with a large delegation, Erdoğan was in Athens for the first time since 2017 after a long period of tension marked by spats over migration, energy exploration in the Aegean and territorial sovereignty.

During the visit, the sides announced a friendship declaration, visa facilitation for Turkish citizens for 10 Greek islands in the northern Aegean for up to seven days and the decreased flow of irregular migrants to Greece.

The meeting between the pair took place in a friendly climate triggered by Greece sending assistance to Türkiye following two devastating earthquakes and Türkiye offering condolences after a deadly train crash in Greece earlier this year.

"A series of high-level bilateral visits are currently underway and there is a concrete road map," the ambassador continued, referring to a planned visit of Greek premier Kyriakos Mitsotakis to Ankara this May as part of the diplomatic thaw.

Bizakis also reiterated that Greece "firmly supports Türkiye’s EU accession process," including the facilitation of the granting of visas, "so that Türkiye’s young generation, scientists, businessmen, students can develop closer relations with Europe."

"Tangible proof of this is that following consultations and approval by the European Commission, Greece will activate a fast-track process for Turkish citizens and their families to visit 10 of our islands that have a direct ferry connection with Türkiye, for seven days," Bizakis highlighted. "Greek islands are a bridge of communication and friendship between the two peoples."

On the economic relations, the ambassador said that there are already concrete results in many sectors beneficial for both sides while the two countries aim to raise the trade volume from 5 billion euros ($5.43 billion) to 10 billion euros, within five years, including all major sectors. "We had a very successful Joint Economic Committee last February in Istanbul."

For his part, Türkiye’s deputy trade minister, Mustafa Tuzcu, said: "In 2023, our bilateral trade volume increased almost $5.8 billion and it is very promising that we have reached our highest trade volume figures. More importantly, we are pleased to see that this trend continues in 2024 as well."

Tuzcu also emphasized that Ankara supports Greece’s non-permanent membership to the U.N. Security Council for the period 2025-2026.