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Davutoğlu calls on Athens to stop seeing Turkey as a threat
“Turkey and Greece should take advantages of the peace [existing] in their relations; however, for this to happen, disagreements between the two countries should be overcome,” Davutoğlu was quoted by the Anatolia news agency as saying in an interview with Kathimerini, a daily newspaper published in Athens, on Sunday.
“I don’t see any reason for us not to do this. However, for something like this to happen, it is first of all necessary to get rid of the wrong impression that Turkey is posing a threat to Greece and, of course, to resolve all problems in the Aegean,” Davutoğlu said, echoing Ankara’s stance of seeking a complete resolution to the issue, not a partial one.
Davutoğlu’s remarks came ahead of his three-day official visit to the Greek capital at the invitation of his Greek counterpart, Dimitris Droutsas. During the visit, which will kick off on Tuesday, the two ministers will “exchange views on Turkish-Greek relations, which have gained a new impetus, as well as on the recent developments in regional and international matters,” the Turkish Foreign Ministry said last week in a brief written statement. Improving the already existing confidence-building measures between the two countries until the problems are finally resolved will be useful and will create an atmosphere which will be conducive for the resolution of all problems, the minister suggested.
“Within this framework, Turkey is ready to work together with Greece, particularly on the way of carrying out military activities in the Aegean and flight safety,” he added. The Aegean neighbors have a shaky relationship and came close 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.
Greek authorities frequently accuse Turkish fighter jets 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 Flight Information Region (FIR) Athens.
“Turkey’s positions are explained in the statement,” Greek Foreign Ministry spokesperson Gregory Delavekouras was quoted as saying by Anatolia on Sunday in response to questions on Davutoğlu’s remarks published in Kathimerini.
“These are known positions. Just as Greece’s positions are known too. The goal of exploratory meetings between the two countries is determining the continental shelf between the two countries from Thrace to Meis Island [Kastelorizo]. This is open,” he said, in an apparent reference to Davutoğlu’s remarks to Kathimerini in which he reiterated Ankara’s recognition of Meis Island as a Mediterranean island, but not an Aegean island.
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