As Türkiye and Greece look to put their hostilities aside, Turkish Presidential Communications Director Fahrettin Altun stressed on Sunday the importance of bolstering ties with mutual understanding.
“The prosperity of future generations depends on strengthening bilateral relations,” Altun said in an interview with the Greek newspaper Ta Nea, addressing key regional issues and unresolved disputes. “Promoting mutual understanding, expanding trade opportunities, deepening people-to-people ties, and striving for shared prosperity will benefit everyone. “By prioritizing these goals, we can ensure that those who wish to disrupt progress and block the path to cooperation and peace are sidelined,” he added.
On fostering cultural collaboration, Altun highlighted Ankara’s support for the return of the Parthenon Marbles to Greece and urged mutual respect regarding sensitive issues like the Aegean Sea and the Turkish minority in Greece. “It would be beneficial for the Greek public to understand that the Aegean is not a Greek lake and that Türkiye, with its long coastline, shares this sea and has legitimate rights and vital interests in the region,” he said, emphasizing the need to resolve disputes peacefully under international law. On the Turkish minority in Greece, the Turkish official also said: “The Turkish minority seeks the official recognition of their elected religious leaders and the freedom to express their ethnic identity without fear of legal or administrative repercussions, similar to the freedoms enjoyed by the Greek minority in Türkiye.”
Discussing the island of Cyprus, Altun criticized the decadeslong failure of U.N.-led negotiations for a “bi-zonal, bi-communal federation.” “It is time to acknowledge the reality on the ground: the existence of two separate peoples and two separate states on the island of Cyprus. Neither Turkish Cypriots nor Türkiye are willing to waste another 60 years.”
Looking ahead to the 6th High-Level Co-operation Council in Ankara next year, Altun expressed optimism about further developing bilateral ties, noting that these meetings cover a wide range of topics and involve high-level engagement from both countries. “When it comes to neighbors like Türkiye and Greece, this should naturally be the norm rather than an extraordinary occurrence,” he remarked.
Altun also praised the success of Türkiye and Greece’s joint candidacies for roles within the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), highlighting this as proof of their potential for cooperation on international platforms. “While we have unresolved differences on certain issues, the challenges faced by both countries, as well as our interests in the region and beyond, largely overlap,” he noted. “Cooperation allows us to shift our focus from conflicts to shared objectives.” Altun concluded with a hopeful vision for bilateral relations: “When it comes to deepening relations with Greece, there are no limits for us.”