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Greece is ready to start talks with Turkey to resolve a long-running maritime border dispute that has repeatedly brought the two neighbors to the brink of armed conflict, Greece's newly appointed foreign minister said on Tuesday.
Giorgos Gerapetritis said the Greek government wants to "take advantage of the continued positive climate" in order to reach an agreement on defining the areas in which each country has exclusive economic rights, including the right to search for oil and gas offshore open.
Turkey disputes areas that Greece says are within its economic zone and where it is seeking to begin a search for offshore oil and gas reserves.
Turkey claims most of Cyprus's economic zone, where several significant offshore natural gas deposits have been discovered.
The dispute over offshore exploration rights had culminated in a naval standoff three years ago.
An important issue causing tension between Greece and Turkey, which Gerapetritis aims to address, is the delimitation of the continental shelf. This issue is directly related to the extent of the Greek islands. These islands are located off the coast of Turkey in the Aegean and the eastern Mediterranean.
"All that remains is to determine whether Turkey also sincerely wants to create a rapprochement path ," Gerapetritis said after talks with his Cypriot counterpart, Konstantinos Kombos.
Gerapetritis said that at the top of these priorities is an agreement to reunite ethnically divided Cyprus as a federation made up of Greek and Turkish-speaking sectors in accordance with United Nations resolutions.
In 1974, Cyprus seceded after Turkey occupied it in response to a coup led by individuals who supported the idea of union with Greece. Currently, Turkey and the breakaway Turkish Cypriots insist that any peace deal must first recognize the distinct sovereignty of the Turkish Cypriots.
Following the devastating earthquakes in southern Turkey in February, Greek and Turkish officials have engaged in a series of important meetings.
They have vowed to put aside differences that have led to recurring tensions.
Shortly before his re-election last month, Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, during an interview with the Associated Press, expressed his willingness to extend a "hand of friendship" to Turkey./ REL
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