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Updated May 31st, 2021 at 19:06 IST

Greece, Turkey to meet on sidelines of NATO summit

The leaders of Greece and Turkey will meet next month on the sidelines of a NATO summit, the two countries' foreign ministers agreed on Monday, as they seek to mend frayed ties that led to a sharp escalation in tension last year.

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The leaders of Greece and Turkey will meet next month on the sidelines of a NATO summit, the two countries' foreign ministers agreed on Monday, as they seek to mend frayed ties that led to a sharp escalation in tension last year.

In brief statements in Athens, the ministers said their talks were an opportunity to agree on a meeting between Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis at the NATO summit in Brussels on June 14.

Greek foreign minister Nikos Dendias said he and his Turkish counterpart Mevlut Cavusoglu had discussed the full range of Greek-Turkish and Turkish-European Union relations.

On some issues they were "diametrically opposed", he said.

"The aim of our meeting today was to attempt a process of initial consultation and if this proves possible, a gradual normalization of the situation over time," Dendias added.

The ministers said they had agreed their countries would recognize each other's vaccination certificates for COVID-19, so that their citizens will be able to visit with either a vaccination certificate or proof of a negative PCR test, boosting their respective tourist industries.

Their joint appearance had none of the tension of their previous meeting in April, when Dendias visited Ankara and a news conference there featured a trading of barbs as each listed his country's grievances with the other.

Greece and Turkey have been divided for decades over a series of disputes, including territorial rights in the Aegean Sea.

Last summer, tension between them rose dramatically, with disagreements over maritime boundaries and energy exploration rights in the eastern Mediterranean, leading to a naval face-off.

 

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Published May 31st, 2021 at 19:06 IST

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