October
24, 2003
Papandreou,
Gul Reiterate Commitment to Greek-Turkish Rapprochement
Washington,
D.C. - Greek Foreign Minister George Papandreou and Turkish Foreign
Minister Abdullah Gul, during the latter's first visit to Athens,
reaffirmed their commitment to furthering rapprochement between their two
countries, but did not report any progress on resolving Aegean Sea
disputes or the Cyprus problem.
Greek
Foreign Minister George A. Papandreou discusses the positions and
objectives of Greece's foreign policy to Turkish and Greek retired
military officers and strategists at the Western Policy Center's fourth
annual Eastern Mediterranean Security Conference, held in Athens October
21-23, 2003.
Gul,
accompanied by Turkish Finance Minister Kemal Unakitan, stated that Greece
and Turkey were committed to improving relations and transforming the
Aegean into "a sea of peace, cooperation, and development,"
while being aware that they have to resolve their disputes in peaceful
ways and through dialogue. He said Greek-Turkish relations "are
pervaded by trust . . . the era of tensions is over," while
Papandreou noted that "our bilateral relations have now entered
another framework," though "this does not mean that our problems
are solved automatically."
Referring
to ongoing meetings between diplomats from Athens and Ankara on
Greek-Turkish differences in the Aegean, Papandreou stated that "the
climate is good, but we have not reached concrete results yet." He
said the Cyprus problem and the Aegean issues would "become even more
important next year also due to developments in the EU" concerning
Turkey. Gul stated that Turkey accepts the settlement plan for Cyprus put
forth by U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan as a basis for negotiations as
long as it is amended, a position at odds with that of Turkish Cypriot
leader Rauf Denktash, who has rejected the plan.
Foreign
Ministry spokesman Panos Beglitis said talks with Gul in Athens indicated
that "the Turkish government desires, in the framework of its
European course, to contribute to a solution to Greek-Turkish problems, as
well as to the Cyprus issue."
The
European Union will evaluate Ankara's progress toward meeting EU entry
requirements in December 2004 to determine whether it is ready to begin
accession talks in early 2005. Greece has indicated that it will support
the launching of talks but has suggested that this support will be
dependent on Turkey's efforts to help resolve the Cyprus issue and the
Aegean disputes. According to the presidency conclusions of the EU's 1999
Helsinki summit, problems between Greece and Turkey in the Aegean must be
resolved by the end of 2004 or be referred to the International Court of
Justice in The Hague.
Papandreou
and Gul announced that a bilateral agreement to eliminate double taxation
for companies doing business in both countries had been concluded,
following four years of negotiations, and would be signed in December
during a visit by Greek National Economy and Finance Minister Nikos
Christodoulakis to Ankara. The agreement is expected to boost bilateral
trade from the current $1 billion annually. In addition, the two ministers
said they had discussed the possibility of allowing foreign tourists in
Turkey to make one-day trips to Greece without obtaining visas.
They
cited the September bilateral decision to clear land mines along the
Greek-Turkish border and the October cancellation of military exercises in
the eastern Mediterranean related to Cyprus as examples of steps toward
improving strained relations. (See Country Updates, Turkey, "Turkey,
Greece Sign Treaty Banning Land Mines," September 26, 2003, and
Cyprus, "Athens, Ankara Cancel Cyprus-Related Military
Exercises," October 10, 2003.)
The
two sides have signed nearly 20 accords on issues such as investment,
tourism, the environment in the Aegean, and cooperation against organized
crime and illegal immigration over the past several years. An agreement on
the transfer of Central Asian and Caspian natural gas from Turkey to
western Europe via Greece is being negotiated.
Papandreou
and Gul said Athens and Ankara would cooperate closely on issues
concerning security and tourism with respect to the Athens Olympics in
August 2004, noting that discussions would be held to arrange carrying the
Olympic flame through Istanbul, which was not originally designated as one
of the cities it will go through as part of its journey around the world.
Gul said Turkey had assigned a special team to examine ways of working
with Athens on matters related to the Olympics in the months leading up to
and during the games.
About
30 Turkish businessmen accompanied Gul to Athens and participated in a
forum with Greek entrepreneurs organized by the Greek-Turkish Chamber of
Commerce and the Council of Greek-Turkish Business Cooperation.
Gul's
visit to Athens was scheduled as part of regular contacts between the
Greek and Turkish foreign ministries that began in 2000.
