At 10:30 a.m. Friday morning, Foreign Minister Giorgos Gerapetritis will receive his Turkish counterpart Hakhan Fidan at the Foreign Ministry, according to diplomatic sources.

The schedule initially includes a private meeting between the two ministers. This will be followed by extended talks between the two delegations.

After the extended talks there will be joint statements to the press at about 12:30 noon. This will be followed by a working lunch.

In an interview published in Aksam newspaper ahead of his visit to Greece, Hakan Fidan said: “We have the principle of seeking solutions to our existing issues with Greece according to the principle of mutual benefit (kazan-kazan), as defined by the vision set out by our president. We discuss qualitatively the existing problems and aim to end them in a way that can be definitive and in the interest of both sides. We are talking about turning the Aegean into a sea of peace.”

For his part, Gerapetritis had made it clear days ago that sovereignty issues are not included in any dialogue on Greek-Turkish issues. “Sovereignty issues are not included nor will they be included in any dialogue that takes place on Greek-Turkish issues. The issue of sovereignty, including the extension of territorial waters, is a matter that concerns only the Greek state and will be exercised in an appropriate manner,” he had said from the floor of the Parliament.

New round of meetings on the Trust Building Measures (CBMs)

A new round of meetings on the Trust Building Measures (CBMs) between the Greek and Turkish delegations took place in Constantinople.

The meeting was hosted by the Ministry of National Defense of Turkey.

According to the Ministry of National Defense, the delegations consisted of ambassadors, senior military and other officials from both sides.

During the meeting, the two sides reviewed the planned 2024 CBMs planned for 2024 and discussed the implementation of mutually agreed upon 2025 CBM activities.

The meeting was held in a positive atmosphere.

The next meeting will be hosted in Greece.