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Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis met today in Ankara with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, as part of the 6th meeting of the High Cooperation Council between the two countries.
The two leaders co-chaired the session with the participation of foreign ministers as coordinators, as well as ministers responsible for economy and finance, internal order and migration, civil protection, culture and tourism, education, development, infrastructure, transport and trade.
In the joint statement, Athens and Ankara reaffirmed their determination to strengthen friendly relations and good neighborliness, in accordance with the “Athens Declaration on Friendly Relations and Good Neighborliness”, signed in December 2023. Both sides pledged to expand areas of cooperation and avoid unjustified sources of tension, in order to prevent escalation.
In the economic plan, Greece and Turkey aim to reach a bilateral trade volume of $10 billion by the end of the decade. To this end, they will intensify cooperation between the business communities and support the activities of the Greek-Turkish Joint Business Council.
The two countries welcomed the extension of the temporary Schengen short-stay visa regime, which facilitates tourist visits by Turkish citizens to 12 Greek Aegean islands.
In the field of migration, the parties assessed the results of the trilateral mechanism with Bulgaria to combat irregular migration and agreed to further strengthen cooperation. They also stressed the importance of international cooperation against terrorism and organized crime.
On energy, Athens and Ankara will explore opportunities for deepening cooperation, particularly in electricity interconnection and renewable sources. On infrastructure, they will pursue projects to modernize cross-border road and rail corridors, including the construction of a second bridge at the Kipi-Ipsala border crossing, based on the 2006 agreement.
Both sides committed to strengthening cooperation in science, technology and innovation, including in the field of artificial intelligence, as well as on sustainable water management in the Meriç/Ervros river basin, with a focus on coping with floods and the impacts of climate change.
In the Euro-Atlantic aspect, Greece and Turkey reaffirmed their commitment to cooperate constructively within NATO, including on the eve of the summit to be held in Ankara on 7-8 July 2026. The leaders also exchanged views on Turkey-EU relations and on regional and international developments.
The meeting confirmed the continuation of the political dialogue, the so-called "Positive Agenda" and discussions on Confidence Building Measures, in an effort to maintain stability in bilateral relations between the two NATO member countries.
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