Greek Defense Minister Nikos Panagiotopoulos joined his Turkish counterpart Hulusi Akar on Tuesday in a rare visit to Türkiye. The two ministers shared warm messages as they spoke at a joint news conference in Hatay, which was struck by earthquakes on Feb. 6.
“I sincerely believe that Türkiye and Greece can resolve their issues in a peaceful way. We are two neighbors that have a multidimensional friendship like the multidimensional problems. We hope we can engage in dialogue without waiting for another disaster,” Akar said. Greece was one of the first countries to provide relief and search and rescue support after the earthquakes.
Akar said they hoped that the Mediterranean and Aegean would be a “sea of friendship” between the two countries and thanked his counterpart for his visit.
For his part, Panagiotopoulos extended his condolences to the victims of the earthquake. He described Akar as his “dear friend” and said they would talk about fighting against new challenges in terms of disasters. He said Greece mobilized to support Türkiye the moment the earthquake hit the country’s south.
There are some "problems" between the two countries, Akar said, noting: "As two civilized countries, Türkiye and Greece can address these problems in line with a spirit of alliances, via a peaceful manner, mutual respect, and dialogue."
"We believe that this would be mutually beneficial," he said.
He said the problems and the friendship of the two countries, who are neighbors at each side of the Aegean, are "multidimensional."
Türkiye expects the continuation of the current attitude, positive and constructive atmosphere that came to the fore after the massive earthquakes, Akar said, also urging to keep the doors of dialogue open.
"It is our sincere desire that the Aegean and the Mediterranean will now truly become a sea of friendship, with the emergence of permanent cooperation. Thus, our keynote, desire, and wish is that the people living in Türkiye and Greece live in comfort, security, and prosperity," he added.
Panagiotopoulos also voiced the will to establish stability in bilateral relations, and said tragedies such as earthquakes show "how small" the existing problems are between Greece and Türkiye.
"When observed from another perspective, we see that these tragedies and disasters actually act as a catalyst in terms of reducing tensions," he added.
The Greek minister also expressed readiness to "do their best" to further the stability, solidarity, and cooperation between Türkiye and Greece "within the means possible."
"The world has been facing challenges in terms of security recently," he also stressed, adding that the two countries must work together against such security challenges.
