Greek Islands Launch Special Visa Program for Turkish Visitors in Diplomatic Effort to Calm Region

 Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis gestures as leader of PASOK party Nikos Androulakis addresses lawmakers at the parliament ahead of a vote on confidence following a censure motion submitted by leftist and center-left opposition parties, in Athens, Greece, March 28, 2024. (Reuters)
Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis gestures as leader of PASOK party Nikos Androulakis addresses lawmakers at the parliament ahead of a vote on confidence following a censure motion submitted by leftist and center-left opposition parties, in Athens, Greece, March 28, 2024. (Reuters)
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Greek Islands Launch Special Visa Program for Turkish Visitors in Diplomatic Effort to Calm Region

 Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis gestures as leader of PASOK party Nikos Androulakis addresses lawmakers at the parliament ahead of a vote on confidence following a censure motion submitted by leftist and center-left opposition parties, in Athens, Greece, March 28, 2024. (Reuters)
Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis gestures as leader of PASOK party Nikos Androulakis addresses lawmakers at the parliament ahead of a vote on confidence following a censure motion submitted by leftist and center-left opposition parties, in Athens, Greece, March 28, 2024. (Reuters)

Officials on the Greek island of Rhodes opened a new vacation visa terminal for Turkish visitors Monday as part of a diplomatic effort to ease long-standing tensions between the two countries.

The limited-access visa will allow Turks to visit 10 Greek islands for up to a week without having to apply for full access to the European Union’s passport-free travel zone, known as the Schengen area.

NATO members Greece and Türkiye launched several initiatives last year to try and sidestep decades-old disputes — mostly over sea boundaries and mineral rights in the Aegean Sea— to focus on trade.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan visited Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis in December to sign a series of bilateral cooperation agreements in Athens. Mitsotakis will visit Türkiye next month.

“The express visa can be issued not only in summer, but all year round. The measure is designed to boost tourism in areas and at times of the year when there is not a lot of traffic, so it will help the local economies,” Mitsotakis wrote in a weekly online post Sunday.

Granted at participating Greek ports, the new visa will cost 60 euros and will include a passport check and fingerprint recording, while visitors will not be allowed to travel onto other EU member states, Greek officials said.

“The new system is ready and there is a lot of demand from Turkish visitors. But there were no boats scheduled to arrive today. We will have arrivals later this week,” Vassilis Vayiannakis, head of the Rhodes Port Fund, told the AP.

The islands in the vacation visa program all lie near the Turkish coastline and also include Lesbos, Limnos, Chios, Samos, Leros, Kalymnos, Kos, Symi and Kastellorizo, with the smaller islands due to join in June.

Türkiye has long sought more relaxed travel rules for its citizens visiting the EU in exchange for its cooperation with member states of the bloc that include efforts to curb illegal immigration. Tourism is a vital industry for the Greek economy. The country welcomed 32.7 million visitors last year, raising 20.5 billion euros, according to central bank data.



US Typhon Missile to Stay in Philippines for Now, Top Security Official Says 

An aerial view of China occupied Subi Reef at Spratly Islands in disputed South China Sea April 21, 2017. (Reuters)
An aerial view of China occupied Subi Reef at Spratly Islands in disputed South China Sea April 21, 2017. (Reuters)
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US Typhon Missile to Stay in Philippines for Now, Top Security Official Says 

An aerial view of China occupied Subi Reef at Spratly Islands in disputed South China Sea April 21, 2017. (Reuters)
An aerial view of China occupied Subi Reef at Spratly Islands in disputed South China Sea April 21, 2017. (Reuters)

The US military's Typhon launchers which can fire multi-purpose missiles up to thousands of kilometers will stay in the Philippines for the time being, the national security adviser to President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said on Friday.

National Security Adviser Eduardo Ano told reporters the launchers will stay on Philippine shores "for now", a day after Reuters reported that the launchers were moved to a new location within the island of Luzon from the northern Laoag airfield.

The Philippine military separately said on Friday the deployment of the launchers with mid-range capability was in line with Washington's longstanding defense ties with the country.

"The primary objective of this deployment is to strengthen Philippine military readiness, improve our familiarization and interoperability with advanced weapon systems, and support regional security," armed forces spokesperson Francel Margareth Padilla said in a statement.

The weapon's presence on Philippine territory drew sharp rebukes from China when it was first deployed in April 2024 during military exercises. Beijing accused the Philippines on Thursday of creating tension and confrontation in the region, urging it to "correct its wrong practices".

Treaty allies the United States and the Philippines "coordinate closely on all aspects of the MRC deployment, including its positioning", Padilla said.

The Typhon launchers can fire multi-purpose missiles up to thousands of kilometers such as Tomahawk cruise missiles, capable of hitting targets in both China and Russia from the Philippines. The SM-6 missiles it carries can strike air or sea targets more than 200 km (165 miles) away.

"These arrangements reflect shared operational considerations and mutual consultations between our two nations," Padilla said.