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Greek, Turkish Foreign Ministers to Meet on Nov. 8, Sources Say

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan look on, during the inauguration of the Great Mosque of Tirana or Namazgah Mosque, the largest mosque in the Balkans, in Tirana, Albania October 10, 2024. (Reuters)
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan look on, during the inauguration of the Great Mosque of Tirana or Namazgah Mosque, the largest mosque in the Balkans, in Tirana, Albania October 10, 2024. (Reuters)
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Greek, Turkish Foreign Ministers to Meet on Nov. 8, Sources Say

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan look on, during the inauguration of the Great Mosque of Tirana or Namazgah Mosque, the largest mosque in the Balkans, in Tirana, Albania October 10, 2024. (Reuters)
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan look on, during the inauguration of the Great Mosque of Tirana or Namazgah Mosque, the largest mosque in the Balkans, in Tirana, Albania October 10, 2024. (Reuters)

Greek Foreign Minister George Gerapetritis will meet his Turkish counterpart Hakan Fidan in Athens on Nov. 8 to discuss bilateral issues including the demarcation of an exclusive economic zone, diplomatic sources said on Tuesday.

Greece and Türkiye, NATO allies but historic foes, have been at odds for decades over matters ranging from airspace to maritime jurisdiction in the eastern Mediterranean, energy resources and ethnically split Cyprus.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said last week he believed relations with Greece were improving and that the Gerapetritis-Fidan meeting was aimed at finding solutions to issues such as maritime zones and airspace.

The foreign ministers have been tasked with exploring whether conditions were favorable to initiate talks on the demarcation of the continental shelf and economic zone, Gerapetritis said last month.

An agreement on where their maritime zones begin and end is important for determining rights over possible gas reserves and power infrastructure schemes.

A high-level cooperation council, at which the countries will assess progress, is expected to take place in Ankara in January.

Separately, the leaders of estranged Greek and Turkish Cypriots were expected to meet informally with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres in New York on Tuesday.

Cyprus was split decades ago in a Turkish invasion after a brief Greek-inspired coup, and preceded by years of sporadic violence between Greek and Turkish Cypriots. Reunification talks collapsed in mid-2017 and have been at a stalemate since.

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Rain Gives Some Respite to South Korea Firefighters as Death Toll Rises

A man looks at the burnt remains of a farm village destroyed by wildfires in Uiseong, North Gyeongsang Province, South Korea, 28 March 2025. EPA/JEON HEON-KYUN
A man looks at the burnt remains of a farm village destroyed by wildfires in Uiseong, North Gyeongsang Province, South Korea, 28 March 2025. EPA/JEON HEON-KYUN
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Rain Gives Some Respite to South Korea Firefighters as Death Toll Rises

A man looks at the burnt remains of a farm village destroyed by wildfires in Uiseong, North Gyeongsang Province, South Korea, 28 March 2025. EPA/JEON HEON-KYUN
A man looks at the burnt remains of a farm village destroyed by wildfires in Uiseong, North Gyeongsang Province, South Korea, 28 March 2025. EPA/JEON HEON-KYUN

Overnight rain helped douse some of South Korea's worst-ever wildfires, authorities said Friday, as the death toll from the unprecedented blazes raging for nearly a week reached 28.

More than a dozen fires have ravaged large areas of the country's southeast, destroying an ancient temple, and forcing around 37,000 people to evacuate.

The flames blocked roads and knocked out communication lines, causing residents to flee in panic as fireballs rained down on cars stuck in traffic jams to escape the area, AFP reported.

The flames have been fanned by high winds and ultra-dry conditions, with the area experiencing below-average rains for months after South Korea experienced its hottest year on record in 2024.

But overnight Thursday it rained in the affected area, helping firefighters to contain some of the worst blazes.

"The rain that fell from the afternoon into the early morning aided the firefighting efforts," Korea Forest Service chief Lim Sang-seop said.

The rain "reduced the haze, improving visibility, and the cooler temperatures compared to other days create very favourable conditions for firefighting efforts", he said.

South Korea's interior ministry said a total of 28 people had been killed as of Friday morning, and 37 others were injured -- nine seriously.

The fatalities include a pilot in his 70s whose helicopter crashed Wednesday while trying to contain a fire, as well as four firefighters and other workers who lost their lives after being trapped by rapidly advancing flames.

More than 2,240 houses in the region have been destroyed, according to the latest figures, and an official said Thursday more than 35,000 hectares (86,500 acres) of forest have been burned.

The extent of damage makes it South Korea's largest-ever wildfire, after an inferno in April 2000 that scorched 23,913 hectares across the east coast.

The fire also destroyed several historic sites, including the Gounsa temple complex in Uiseong, which is believed to have been originally built in the 7th century.

Among the damaged structures at the temple are two state-designated "treasures," one of which is a pavilion built in 1668 that overlooks a stream.

Last year was South Korea's hottest on record, although temperatures in the months running up to the blaze had been colder than last year and in line with the country's 30-year average, Korea Meteorological Administration data shows.

But the fire-hit region had been experiencing unusually dry weather with below-average precipitation.

According to the interior ministry, the wildfires were accidentally started by a grave visitor and "sparks from a brush cutter".