ATHENS

Rapprochement with Türkiye is a historical necessity, Greek Foreign Minister George Gerapetritis said on Friday.

"The rapprochement being attempted between Greece and Türkiye is, in my opinion, a historical necessity. The two countries are neighbors. They are destined by geography to live together. And those of us who are in the service of the country should try to have a peaceful neighborhood," Gerapetritis told radio broadcaster Channel One.

Holding that the two countries are unlikely to change their positions on major sources of disagreement before rapprochement commences, he said:

"What we will attempt will be to emphasize those points which are mutually beneficial and can help us to move a little better in our relationship. To be in a state which, firstly, will allow us to be in a relative calm and, secondly, when tensions arise, they will not lead to major crises."

"What we must always keep in mind is that a crisis can come asymmetrically from an accident, from a wrong assessment, from a wrong report. So, it is good that, when these things happen — because they will happen — we have those valves to be able to decompress the crises," Gerapetritis added.

On an upcoming visit to Türkiye by Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsokais for talks with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on May 13, he said the two had "matters to discuss."

"Further directions should be given by the two leaders. The organization of the visit is progressing normally, as planned and I hope we will have a good and productive meeting," he noted.

European Council meeting

Gerapetritis also touched on the conclusion text of a recent European Council special meeting concerning ties with Türkiye.

Türkiye had criticized the text for linking progress in EU-Türkiye relations to the Cyprus issue and not addressing the long-standing issue of updating the two sides' Customs Union.

Gerapetritis argued that Türkiye should l respect for the sovereignty and rights of the member states, including the Greek Cypriot administration.

"So, the connection between Euro-Turkish relations and progress in the Cyprus issue is, in my opinion, completely logical," he added.

Türkiye on Thursday criticized the conclusions of this week's extraordinary European Council meeting, accusing the EU of lacking "strategic vision" in its approach to the country, and slamming the new emphasis on Cyprus.

Marine parks

Responding to a question on Greek plans to build marine parks in the Ionian and Aegean seas and Türkiye's strong opposition to them, Gerapetritis urged "acceptance" by both parties that the fundamental positions of the other will not change.​​​​​​​

Türkiye cautioned Greece on April 10 against exploiting environmental issues for political gain after Athens announced plans to launch two new marine parks.

Ankara urged Greece not to involve outstanding issues between the two countries concerning the Aegean Sea, including "the status of some islands, islets and rocks whose sovereignty has not been ceded to Greece by international treaties, within the framework of its own agenda."