ANKARA
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Saturday expressed hope for a fresh beginning in bilateral relations with Greece.
On his upcoming visit to Greece scheduled for Dec. 7, he said: “I hope a new era begins (between the two countries). We are trying to make more friends and less enemies.”
“We will go to Athens with a win-win approach. There, we will discuss both our bilateral relations and Turkey-EU relations in order to make decisions worthy of the spirit of the new era,” Erdogan said while speaking to journalists on board the presidential plane returning from Dubai, where he attended the COP28 climate summit.
Noting the proximity and intertwined history of the two nations, he said that nurturing animosities is not constructive.
He expressed a willingness to start a new era, uphold promises, and develop relations free from external influences.
Speaking about external influences, he said that the US supplies military equipment to Greece while withholding similar support for Türkiye.
“Although we paid for them, F-16s are not given to us, while they continue to send F-16s and munitions to Greece. It does not mean we have to back down just because the United States is doing this. We will visit our neighboring country, sit down, and talk,” he said.
Separately, Türkiye made a request to Washington in 2021 for 40 F-16 jets and modernization kits. The State Department informally notified Congress of the potential sale.
Erdogan advocated for a diplomatic approach, emphasizing that as neighbors, Türkiye and Greece can engage in dialogue without compromising each other’s interests.
He acknowledged existing differences between the two countries but highlighted the potential for collaboration on mutually beneficial subjects.
The Greek-Turkish High-Level Cooperation Council will be held in Athens on Dec. 7.
