Papandreou to Turkey: We can be the best of partners

“I will be meeting with Prime Minister Erdoğan in the next few months. We haven’t yet set the date, but it will be very soon. And I do hope that this meeting will also signify and symbolize a renewal of our rapprochement, which we began some years ago, and dealing with issues such as the continental shelf,” Papandreou said on Monday at a joint press conference following his talks with US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.

“And therefore, I would like to see Greek-Turkish relations, Cyprus becoming a model of stability and peace, one -- a model where we can work together and show the world that former foes can be the best of good partners in this globalizing world where we have huge issues to deal with. And there’s much more potential when we work together than when we work at odds with each other,” Papandreou added.

The Aegean neighbors have a shaky relationship and actually came to the brink of war three times between 1974 and 1996 over Aegean borders and the divided island country of Cyprus.

The rapprochement between the Turkish and Greek peoples after the devastating earthquakes each country suffered in 1999 provided another incentive to intensify diplomatic efforts for the improvement of bilateral relations. But occasional accusations of airspace and territorial water violations as well as the Cyprus issue continue to mar relations.

In 2002 Greek and Turkish diplomats began exploratory talks on their disputes. Business deals have steadily increased and include a pipeline link that will be used to carry natural gas from the Caspian Sea to Western Europe. But the Aegean has remained a source of tension.

Papandreou said Cyprus had long divided Turkey and Greece and required a solution, “the sooner the better.” Turkey has about 30,000 troops in northern Cyprus, and Erdoğan has said Ankara would consider a withdrawal if there were a deal. “And we do need to liberate, I would say, this island from that type of activity and that type of a situation,” Papandreou stated.

The Greek and Turkish Cypriot communities have been divided since a Turkish military intervention in 1974 triggered by a short-lived Greek-inspired coup. The conflict is affecting Turkey’s ambitions to join the European Union, where Greek Cypriots representing the island have veto powers over Ankara’s bid.

The Greek and Turkish Cypriot sides started peace talks in September 2008, but progress has been slow. A breakthrough could be hampered by Turkish Cypriot presidential elections in April.

“I have given my full support to [Greek Cypriot leader] Demetris Christofias and his work to move ahead and continue the peace process, the process of negotiation for finding a just solution, one which will be a federated solution,” Papandreou said.

“[I] very much support that the sooner the better, but of course, [it must be] a just solution which will also be within the framework of the European law and legislation,” he added.

On Tuesday, Ankara hosted the 15th meeting of the Greek-Turkish Steering Committee, which assessed developments in various sectors of bilateral relations and exchanged views on the further promotion of these relations in the coming time.

Political directors from the foreign ministries of the two countries co-chaired the meeting, which came after a Greek media report on Monday suggested that Athens has been drafting a plan aimed at “creating a buffer zone in the Aegean” via limiting the flight of both Greek and Turkish warplanes in the entire eastern Aegean and to the east of the 25th meridian, which is part of the Athens Flight Information Region (FIR Athens).

Yet the Greek Foreign Ministry was swift to deny the report by the Athens daily Eleftherotypia, as a spokesperson said Monday, “The article in no way reflects the reality of the situation.”

The report also said such plan, if accepted by Turkey, would provide around 2 billion euros annually in savings to Greece, which is facing a huge debt crisis. Officials at the Turkish Foreign Ministry, approached by Today’s Zaman, said they had no official information regarding the content of the news report. The same officials, however, noted that they have been expecting rising momentum in efforts to resolve bilateral problems between Ankara and Athens.

Greek authorities frequently accuse Turkish fighters of violating Greek airspace. The Turkish military, constantly dismissing Greek charges of airspace violations, asserts that Turkish military planes face charges of airspace violation every time they pass through the FIR Athens. All commercial planes must submit flight information before passing through the FIR Athens, but international law makes it clear that military and other state aircraft are not required to give the same notification.