Türkiye and Greece held the 9th round of the Türkiye–Greece Positive Agenda Joint Action Plan discussions on Wednesday in Athens, led by Deputy Foreign Minister Mehmet Kemal Bozay and Greek Deputy Foreign Minister Haris Theoharis, the Turkish Foreign Ministry said.
According to the ministry’s social media statement, delegations from both countries reviewed progress made since the previous meeting in Ankara and discussed potential new areas of cooperation to be added to the ongoing Positive Agenda framework.
A joint written statement released after the talks said the two deputy ministers welcomed advancements across a wide range of sectors under the Joint Action Plan, including trade, economy, customs, tourism, transport, innovation, science and technology, agriculture, environmental protection, social security, health, youth, education, sports and business cooperation. The statement noted that, beyond items already completed, additional agenda points had shown "satisfactory progress.”
Officials said the Positive Agenda meetings also serve as a platform to finalize agreements expected to be signed during the next High-Level Cooperation Council (HLCC), a mechanism established in 2010 to strengthen bilateral engagement.
Both sides agreed to deepen cooperation in existing fields and evaluate opportunities to add new items to the Positive Agenda as part of what was described as a "dynamic and ongoing process.”
Bilateral mechanisms between the two neighbors, initiated in 1999 to manage relations through dialogue, include the HLCC, Political Dialogue, Exploratory Consultations, the Positive Agenda and Confidence-Building Measures. The most recent HLCC was held on Dec. 7, 2023, in Athens under the co-chairmanship of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, with the next round planned to take place in Türkiye.
According to the reports, Greek authorities have expressed satisfaction with what they describe as progress in bilateral relations over the past two years, citing increased trade volume, reduced migration pressure and a significant decrease in military tensions. Officials also noted that regular, structured talks have helped prevent crises.
However, core disputes regarding the delimitation of maritime boundaries, exclusive economic zones and continental shelf claims remain unresolved. Senior Greek diplomatic sources described these issues as the most significant matters yet to be comprehensively addressed at the negotiating table.
Despite recent tensions, Greek media said Athens maintains a generally positive outlook on relations with Türkiye.
Athens has reiterated its opposition to Türkiye’s regional claims and maintained that the maritime agreement between Türkiye and Libya violates international law, a position Greek officials said would not change.
While Greek authorities have stated they remain open to dialogue, the absence of any shift in Athens’ stance on Türkiye’s regional rights suggests that bilateral relations may continue within a cautious and fragile framework.