DOHA
Turkish premier has said he had offered his Greek counterpart to cover costs of a mosque to be built in Athens - if the Greek government sanctioned the construction of the Islamic prayer house.
"I told him that Turkey could cover the costs of a mosque in Athens if necessary permissions are granted. And Mr Samaras showed a positive attitude and said the Greek parliament had approved such a plan. We have reached to a mutual agreement that these issues can be solved through good will," Erdogan told reporters after his meeting with Greek Prime Minister Antonis Samaras in Qatar's capital, Doha.
Athens is one of the few European Union capitals that have no mosques for Muslims whose numbers have been estimated to stand around 300,000.
Asked whether the issue of the Halki (Heybeliada) Seminary in Istanbul could be handled the same way, Erdogan said, "Why not, that's possible."
Erdogan later departed from Doha after concluding his talks in Qatar.
