Greece seeks to build on recent positive steps taken with Türkiye: Premier

ATHENS (AA) – Greece seeks to build on recent positive steps taken with Türkiye, Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said Thursday.

Referring to the ongoing thaw between the two countries since last February, when twin earthquakes caused severe casualties and destruction in southeastern Türkiye, he said "I'm not naive. We have seen dramatic changes in Türkiye's politics in recent years, but I want to be optimistic and I want us to build on the positive steps that both countries have taken in recent months” during a discussion with Ravi Agrawal, the editor-in-chief of Foreign Policy magazine, at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.

He said the improved relations between the two NATO allies have yielded prompt and concrete results, including 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.

Even if Greece and Türkiye do not resolve the issue of demarcation of the continental shelf and economic exclusive zone, which he called the only major problem between the countries, they should be able to co-exist and focus on a positive agenda, said Mitsotakis.

Turning to Israel’s ongoing attacks on Gaza since Oct. 7, he reiterated the country’s concern over the growing number of civilian casualties in the enclave, which is increasingly shared by the international community.

Drawing attention to the over 10,000 children who are among the casualties, Mitsotakis said: “I don't think that Israel is strategically interested in creating a new generation of orphans.”

Also mentioning the escalating tensions in the Red Sea, which included missile and drone attacks by Yemen’s Houthi rebels on commercial shipping and naval vessels and airstrikes by the US and UK in response, he said it is a significant problem that not only concerns Greece but also the global shipping industry.