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.



Iranian Revolutionary Guards Officer Killed in Syria, SNN Reports

FILE PHOTO: Members of Iran's Revolutionary Guards participate in a military parade, in Tehran September 21, 2008. REUTERS/Caren Firouz
FILE PHOTO: Members of Iran's Revolutionary Guards participate in a military parade, in Tehran September 21, 2008. REUTERS/Caren Firouz
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Iranian Revolutionary Guards Officer Killed in Syria, SNN Reports

FILE PHOTO: Members of Iran's Revolutionary Guards participate in a military parade, in Tehran September 21, 2008. REUTERS/Caren Firouz
FILE PHOTO: Members of Iran's Revolutionary Guards participate in a military parade, in Tehran September 21, 2008. REUTERS/Caren Firouz

Iranian Revolutionary Guards Brigadier General Kioumars Pourhashemi was killed in the Syrian province of Aleppo by "terrorists" linked to Israel, Iran's SNN news agency reported on Thursday without giving further details, Reuters reported.

Militants led by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham on Wednesday launched an incursion into a dozen towns and villages in northwest Aleppo province controlled by Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.

Also, Russian and Syrian war planes bombed the opposition-held northwest Syria near the border with Türkiye to push back the insurgent offensive.
The attack was the biggest since March 2020 when Russia, which backs Assad, and Türkiye, which supports the opposition, agreed to a ceasefire that ended years of fighting that uprooted millions of Syrians opposed to Assad's rule.
In its first statement since the surprise campaign, the Syrian army said it had inflicted heavy losses on what it described as terrorists who had attacked on a wide front.
The army said it was cooperating with Russia and unnamed "friendly forces" to regain ground and restore the situation to what it was.
The militants advanced almost 10 km (6 miles) from the outskirts of Aleppo city and a few kilometres away from Nubl and Zahra.
They attacked al-Nayrab airport east of Aleppo, where pro-Iranian militias have outposts.