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.



4 Dead, Including 2 Children, in Latest Migrant Shipwreck Off Greek Island

Greek Coast Guard vessels take part in a search and rescue operation following a shipwreck, where migrants drown off the island of Samos, Greece, November 25, 2024. REUTERS/Sofianos Drapaniotis
Greek Coast Guard vessels take part in a search and rescue operation following a shipwreck, where migrants drown off the island of Samos, Greece, November 25, 2024. REUTERS/Sofianos Drapaniotis
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4 Dead, Including 2 Children, in Latest Migrant Shipwreck Off Greek Island

Greek Coast Guard vessels take part in a search and rescue operation following a shipwreck, where migrants drown off the island of Samos, Greece, November 25, 2024. REUTERS/Sofianos Drapaniotis
Greek Coast Guard vessels take part in a search and rescue operation following a shipwreck, where migrants drown off the island of Samos, Greece, November 25, 2024. REUTERS/Sofianos Drapaniotis

Four people, including two children, have died after a boat carrying migrants ran aground on a rocky shoreline on the eastern Greek island of Samos, officials said Thursday.
Sixteen people were rescued, but it remained unclear how many were aboard the boat. The Greek coast guard launched a search-and-rescue operation involving patrol vessels, lifeboats, and land teams to locate any potential missing passengers, The Associated Press reported.
A Greek government official said he expected the risk facing migrants to rise over the winter months, and blamed conflicts in the Middle East for a swell in illegal crossings this year.
The incident comes after eight migrants – six children and two women – died in a shipwreck off the island on Monday.
Samos and other Greek islands in the eastern Aegean Sea are key transit points for migrants crossing from Türkiye to the European Union, with arrivals in recent months that Greek authorities say is linked to ongoing wars in the Middle East and parts of Africa.
“The conditions are certainly not favorable,” Migration Minister Nikos Panagiotopoulos told private Skai television Thursday.
“They do not tend towards reducing the flow of migrants, but rather increasing them – with all the geopolitical turmoil, especially in the Middle East, with ongoing wars and other issues,” he said.
Panagiotopoulos said he expected the risk of tragedies in the eastern Aegean to increase in the coming weeks as weather conditions worsen, and added that Greece will renew efforts to seek European Union funding for border wall construction under the next Polish presidency of the EU, which starts on Jan. 1.
Separately Thursday, police announced the arrest of nine people accused of operating a smuggling ring that allegedly provided migrants with false and illegally used documents to travel to western European cities.
The group, active since July, provided migrants with safe housing, clothing, and travel documents before escorting them to Athens International Airport, police said. Fees for those services ranged from 3,000 to 5,000 euros ($3,150-5,250).