Greece, Turkey Declare Progress on 25 Topics of Positive Agenda Initiative
Greece and Turkey have made progress on 25 topics of the Positive Agenda list, and the relevant agreements could be signed at the next high-level meeting, the two countries said in a joint statement on Wednesday
MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 22nd March, 2023) Greece and Turkey have made progress on 25 topics of the Positive Agenda list, and the relevant agreements could be signed at the next high-level meeting, the two countries said in a joint statement on Wednesday.
Earlier in the day, Greek Deputy Foreign Minister Konstantinos Fragkogiannis and his Turkish counterpart Ambassador Burak Akcapar held a fourth round of discussions in Ankara on the Joint Action Plan within the scope of the Positive Agenda between the two states.
"During the meeting, a detailed update was made on the progress achieved over the 25 topics of the Positive Agenda list, such as the cooperation and enhancement in the fields of entrepreneurship, tourism, energy, transports and telecommunications, maritime affairs, ICT, education, social security, health, and environment," the statement read.
Many items on the list have been "successfully concluded," and "satisfactory progress" has been made on a number of others, according to the statement. The meeting also laid the groundwork for the finalization of the relevant agreements that could be signed at the next high-level summit, the statement noted.
"In view of the significant progress made in this active and ongoing process, the two sides have agreed to explore additional items of cooperation in the context of the Positive Agenda," the statement added.
The Positive Agenda initiative was agreed upon by Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias and his Turkish counterpart, Mevlut Cavusoglu, in April 2021. The three previous meetings took place in May 2021 in the Greek city of Kavala, June 2021 in the Turkish city of Antalya, and February 2022 in the Greek capital, Athens.
NATO allies Greece and Turkey have been at odds for decades, with the risk of an armed conflict arising several times. The disputed issues include competing territorial claims in the eastern Mediterranean, in particular in the region of the Aegean Sea, the Greek-Turkish divide in Cyprus, and the delimitation of maritime boundaries.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has refused to communicate with Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis since May 2022. However, in the event of disasters, the countries provide assistance to each other, as they did after the devastating earthquakes in Turkey and Syria in February and the recent deadly train accident in Greece. On March 9, Dendias said that the tragic events united the societies of the two countries and created a new atmosphere that should be used to normalize Greek-Turkish relations.