ATHENS

Dialogue and cooperation are the way to prosperity for future generations of Turks and Greeks, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said Thursday.

Praising the improvement in relations between Türkiye and Greece in the last two years, Fidan said the determination of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis played an important role in this during an interview with the Greek daily Ta Nea.

President Erdogan’s mission includes putting historical disputes between our countries aside in this challenging period and acting in unity and solidarity, Fidan added, underlining Türkiye's vision of turning the Aegean Sea into a sea of peace.

Fidan stated that it is necessary to explain to those who criticize the rapprochement between Turkey and Greece that the national interests of both countries can only be secured through friendship and cooperation.

"Of course, to achieve this, we need to act realistically and make accurate diagnoses of our problems," he added.

Delimitation of maritime borders is not the only problem, Fidan said, adding that there are many other disputes, which are intertangled, between the two countries.

"Time has come to address these problems through mutual respect and cooperation," he said.

Asked about his relationship with Greek Foreign Minister Giorgos Gerapetritis, Fidan underscored the importance of maintaining honest and open dialogue to prevent an escalation of tensions to a crisis.

“Naturally, there are many important matters we disagree on. However, we have already witnessed the benefits of maintaining communication channels,” he said.

On Greece’s plan to build a marine park in the Aegean Sea, despite objections from Türkiye, Fidan reiterated that Türkiye is open to cooperation with Greece on the issue but the matter of environmental protection should not be exploited for political purposes.

Fidan maintained that there are many reasons to be optimistic over the prospects of Turkish-Greek relations.

“I see no way other than dialogue and cooperation for the security and prosperity of our future generations,” he said.

On the decades-old Cyprus problem, Fidan said it should be understood by all concerned parties that “re-unification of the island” is out of the question.

But it is still possible to seek a solution, and for this, the realities on the ground should be acknowledged, he added.

“There is the need for a vision which will ensure the prosperity, security, peace and sovereignty of both Turkish and Greek Cypriots,” he said.