On the sidelines of the NATO summit. Erdogan meets the Greek Prime Minister and agrees to activate communication channels

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan met on Wednesday with Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis in the Lithuanian capital, Vilnius, on the sidelines of the NATO summit, which concluded today.

The Communication Department of the Turkish Presidency said in a statement that the two sides agreed to activate multiple channels of communication between the two countries, and the statement indicated that the meeting "took place in a good atmosphere" and was attended by the foreign ministers of the two countries.

The statement stressed that the two sides agreed that the desire for the continuity and stability of the positive atmosphere in bilateral relations in recent months is in the interest of the two countries.

The statement pointed out that Erdogan and Mitsotakis agreed to hold a high-level cooperation council meeting between the two countries in the Greek city of Thessaloniki next fall, noting that the foreign ministers of the two countries were tasked with directing the stage and reporting on progress.

The two sides stressed their intention to conduct more frequent contacts at all levels, in order to create a climate of trust and suitable conditions that will improve Turkish-Greek relations.

Roadmap

The Greek prime minister had stressed before the meeting that he hoped to achieve "tangible progress" with the aim of rapprochement with Ankara.

Mitsotakis said ahead of the meeting, which comes after heightened tensions followed by a rapprochement between the two countries after the devastating earthquake that struck Turkey in early February: "I hope and look forward with great hope to take advantage of this positive atmosphere and make tangible progress."

"Of course we have big differences, but we can agree on a road map, so that we can resolve the biggest geopolitical dispute and delimit maritime borders, exclusive economic zones and continental shelf in the Aegean Sea and the Eastern Mediterranean," he said.

Tensions between the two countries eased in February after the devastating earthquake that struck Turkey, as Greece sent aid and rescue teams, and Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias visited the affected areas, becoming the first European minister to visit Turkey after the earthquake.