Message about the need to keep channels of communication open Greece And Türkiye and in the future – after the elections in the two countries – to create conditions for dialogue and cooperation, the ministers of national defense of the two countries sent from Antioch Nikos Panagiotopoulos And Hulusi Akar. In addition to Mr. Panagiotopoulos’ visit to the earthquake-hit areas (the first visit by a Greek defense minister to Turkey in two decades) and his briefing on the situation, a personal meeting followed.

Recall that, as revealed by “K”both parties agreed unofficial moratorium on major exercises before the elections and until the end of the summer, a process that is overseen by the ministries of national defense of the two countries and cannot be excluded that it will be extended if conditions permit, when there are governments capable of long-term negotiations on both sides.

However, it is worth noting that yesterday Immigration Minister Notis Mitarakis traveled to the quake-affected area (along with Mr. Panagiotopoulos) and Turkish Deputy Interior Minister Ismail Katakli took him on a tour of the quake-affected area. areas, as well as refugee camps.

Also, yesterday on the sidelines NATO meetingwhere Finland officially became the 31st member of the Alliance, a brief meeting of the Foreign Ministers of Greece and Turkey took place Nikos Dendias And Mevlut Cavusoglu, which gave a brief overview of Greek-Turkish relations and their improvement over the last period of time. Mr. Dendias also had a short chat with his American counterpart, Anthony Blinken.

Mr. Hulusi Akar and Mr. Nikos Panayotopoulos visited the earthquake-affected areas of Turkey together.

At the same time in Turkey, Mr. Panayotopoulos, in his joint statements with his Turkish counterpart, noted among other things that “Greece responded from the first moment to Turkey’s request to mobilize a European disaster relief mechanism. We hurried as neighbors with Greek rescuers to assist in the rescue effort of our brothers in Turkey who were affected by the earthquakes, thus demonstrating our support and solidarity.”

Mr. Panagiotopoulos further emphasized the symbolism of his visit as a message that “tragedies and natural disasters of this magnitude are beyond any problem and difference between us and can act as levers to reduce tensions and thereby create conditions that facilitate communication and meetings between the two parties. And he added that the ultimate goal “subject to the observance of the necessary conditions – and we must work for this – is to create a climate of stability and cooperation between our countries.”

Mr. Akar, for his part, expressed the hope that “Turkey and Greece, two civilized countries, will be able to resolve these differences through good neighborly relations, diplomacy and respect. I think it will benefit both parties.” He also noted that: “As two neighboring countries in the Aegean, our Turkey is multifaceted, as are our differences. Our desire, our expectation and our desire, barring disaster, to maintain this approach and positive atmosphere after a devastating earthquake. By creating an atmosphere of constant cooperation, we want the Aegean and Mediterranean Seas to become a sea of ​​friendship.”