Turkey expects positive developments in ties with Greece: Akar

Turkey has always been in favor of discussions, dialogue and international law and prefers living in peace with Greece as neighbors

Turkey expects to see positive developments in its relations with its western neighbor Greece, Defense Minister Hulusi Akar said Monday, as he highlighted Turkey’s commitment to regional peace.

Speaking in an interview with CNN Türk in Qatar, Akar said Turkey has always been in favor of discussions, dialogue and international law and prefers living in peace with Greece as neighbors. He noted that officials should refrain from making statements through the media and should instead opt for one-on-one talks, adding that the recent meeting between President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis has proved successful, Qazet.az reports.

“We’ve seen how effective and successful the meeting was, and we expect the continuation of this. As always, we want peace, serenity and stability and we continue to hold discussions with our counterparts in this regard,” Akar said.

The defense chief said he will be holding a meeting with his Greek counterpart that he expects to be constructive and positive.

Referring to the earlier meetings between defense ministers aimed at boosting confidence between the two countries, Akar said a group of 10-15 experts from both sides carried out work in both countries and is expected to hold the fourth round of talks in Turkey soon.

Akar also touched upon the fact that both Turkey and Greece are NATO member states and that they can come up with a framework based on the allies' structure.

NATO allies and neighbors Turkey and Greece are at odds over a number of issues, including competing claims over jurisdiction in the Eastern Mediterranean, air space, energy, the ethnically split island of Cyprus and the status of the islands in the Aegean Sea.