Greece, Türkiye to Keep Talking on Maritime Boundaries Agenda, Ministers Say

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan and Greek Foreign Minister George Gerapetritis give statements to the press at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Athens, Greece, November 8, 2024. REUTERS/Louisa Gouliamaki
Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan and Greek Foreign Minister George Gerapetritis give statements to the press at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Athens, Greece, November 8, 2024. REUTERS/Louisa Gouliamaki
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Greece, Türkiye to Keep Talking on Maritime Boundaries Agenda, Ministers Say

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan and Greek Foreign Minister George Gerapetritis give statements to the press at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Athens, Greece, November 8, 2024. REUTERS/Louisa Gouliamaki
Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan and Greek Foreign Minister George Gerapetritis give statements to the press at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Athens, Greece, November 8, 2024. REUTERS/Louisa Gouliamaki

Greece and Türkiye still disagree on the extent of issues needing to be tackled over the designation of their maritime boundaries but talks will continue, the Greek and Turkish foreign ministers said after meeting on Friday.

Neighbours Greece and Türkiye, NATO allies but historic foes, have long been at odds over issues including where their continental shelves start and end, energy resources, migration, flights over the Aegean Sea, and the ethnically partitioned island of Cyprus.

After years of tensions the two countries agreed in December last year on a roadmap to reboot relations.

Greek Foreign Minister George Gerapetritis and Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, who met in Athens on Friday, have been exploring whether the two nations can start talks aimed at demarcating their maritime boundaries.

The two ministers attempted an initial approach on a "tough and crucial issue" but their positions still differ and the issue would be discussed again at a future meeting, Gerapetritis said in a joint press conference with Fidan, Reuters reported.

Greece says that the two countries only need to discuss the issue of designating an exclusive economic zone and continental shelf boundaries. Türkiye recognises a positive momentum in relations but says that more issues need to be put on the table.

"There are many issues linked to each other in the Aegean that we need to work on and seek solutions for. We cannot group them all as solely maritime delimitation or exclusive economic zones," Fidan said.

Athens and Ankara say they want to keep channels of communication open, boost trade volumes and work on issues which have kept them apart, notably in the Aegean Sea. They also plan tighter cooperation on security and migration.

Greece and Turkish officials will hold another round of talks in Athens on Dec. 2-3, Gerapetritis said, as the two countries prepare for a high-level cooperation council in Türkiye early next year.

Both ministers said they hoped Ankara and Athens could resolve their issues through dialogue, before wrapping up the press conference with a rare hug on stage.



Former UK Soldier Found Guilty of Helping Iran

Police officers are seen in London, Britain, November 27, 2024. REUTERS/Jaimi Joy
Police officers are seen in London, Britain, November 27, 2024. REUTERS/Jaimi Joy
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Former UK Soldier Found Guilty of Helping Iran

Police officers are seen in London, Britain, November 27, 2024. REUTERS/Jaimi Joy
Police officers are seen in London, Britain, November 27, 2024. REUTERS/Jaimi Joy

A British soldier, whose audacious escape from a London prison spurred a dayslong search, was on Thursday found guilty of collecting sensitive information for people linked to Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps and gathering the names of special forces personnel.
Daniel Abed Khalife collected sensitive information between May 2019 and January 2022, prosecutor Mark Heywood told jurors at the start of the trial at Woolwich Crown Court.
Khalife, who was discharged from the armed forces after he was charged, was also accused of leaving a fake bomb on a desk before absconding from his barracks in January 2023.
He then escaped from London's Wandsworth prison in September 2023 while awaiting trial for the other charges, tying himself to the bottom of a delivery van.

He spent three days on the run and was ultimately nabbed on a canal path.
The 23-year-old stood trial charged with gathering information that might be useful to an enemy, namely Iran – an offence under the Official Secrets Act, obtaining information likely to be useful for terrorism and a bomb hoax.
He denied all the charges, pleading guilty during his evidence to escaping from prison, and said he wanted to be a "double agent" for the British intelligence services.
Khalife said he was a patriot and that he and his family hated the Iranian government. "Me and my family are against the regime in Iran," he told the jury.
Khalife was found guilty of the charges under the Official Secrets Act and the Terrorism Act by a jury after more than 23 hours of deliberation. He was found not guilty of perpetrating a bomb hoax.