Turkish foreign minister and deputy premier Abdullah Gul paid his first official visit to Greece in late October in another concrete sign that relations between Greece and Turkey have improved, with a commitment for further dialogue providing greater optimism for a new era between the two neighbours in the future.

“In all our meetings, the Greek and new Turkish government have maintained the will to make progress down the road that the two countries have opened, to entrench all that we have achieved and to broaden cooperation,” said Greek foreign minister George Papandreou at a welcoming ceremony for and his entourage at Athens International Airport on October 21.

“We are two countries on the shores of the same sea and if anything encourages our governments to keep up our mutual efforts, it is the will of the two people to turn the Aegean into a sea of peace, cooperation and development,” Gul said, adding that “the determination is clear on both sides” and that “Strengthening ties between Turkey and Greece will not only be to the benefit of the two countries’ peoples but will also contribute to security and stability in the region”.

On the agenda
Greek-Turkish talks during the two-day visit centered on further confidence-building measures to boost the existing climate and included economic issues, the Cyprus issue, Turkey’s European course and the Athens 2004 Olympic Games .

On the sidelines of the visit, national economy and finance minister Nikos Christodoulakis reached a deal with Turkish finance minister Kemal Unakitan, who, along with Turkish Central Bank head Sureyya Serdengect, accompanyied Gul, to eliminate double taxation between the two countries.

The agreement, which comes after four years of negotiations, will be signed in December during Christodoulakis’ scheduled visit to Ankara . Gul said the deal is expected to boost bilateral trade from the current $1 billion annually, with a trade target of $1.5 billion.

Later, Gul accompanied Papandreou on a police helicopter tour so as to see Olympics construction projects in progress across the city underscoring his certitude that the 2004 Games would be a success. He also met with officials involved in the Olympics preparations, including Athens 2004 head Gianna Angelopoulos-Daskalaki , culture minister Evangelos Venizelos and public order minister Yorgos Floridis.

The Turkish foreign minister also signed the Olympic Truce , a UN -backed initiative to revive the ancient Greek tradition of ending hostilities during the Olympic Games so that warring cities could take part. “If we can stop war for 16 days, maybe at some point we may be able to have peace for ever,” Papandreou said. “The cooperation of the two countries can become an example for the whole world.”

“For us it is a great honor and recognition to host the Olympic Games, a great opportunity not only to reshape our city, but also to send a message, in general, of cooperation and peace for the broader Balkan region,” Mr Papandreou added. Earlier, he said the Olympic torch relay, on its way across five continents, will pass through Istanbul.

“As a neighbouring country there are many things that fall on us to do in order to help,” Gul said. “We examined several issues with the main one being that of security, as well as all that can be done to support the effort of Greece. Turkey has assigned a special team which is probing the issue to enable final decisions to be taken and to have a cooperation agreement reached,” he said.

Economy and politics
At the joint press conference after meeting, Gul said that tourism between the two neighbours would increase thanks to next year’s Athens Olympics (the Istanbul bombings had not yet taken place). For his part, Papandreou added that Greece would ask the European Union for permission to allow foreign tourists in Turkey to make one-day trips to Greece without visas.

Both ministers stressed the spectacular developments, which have taken place in bilateral economic relations in past years, while Gul underlined that another strategically important agreement on the transfer of natural gas from Turkey to Western Europe via Greece has reached its final stretch. Moreover, Papandreou added that there are also plans to extend the Egnatia highway linking northern Greece from West to East, to Istanbul.

“Our bilateral relations have entered a new context,” Papandreou said. “A new dynamic has now commenced… confidence building measures have opened new roads for our cooperation,” he added pointing to a recent agreement to proceed with a UN-backed plan for the abolishment of anti-personnel mines and the recent cancellation of military exercises around Cyprus. He conceded, nonetheless, that “this does not mean that there are no longer any problems”.

On the still thorny Cyprus problem, Papandreou said that a solution for the Cyprus issue “is not simply an obligation but a necessity for the Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots”, adding that “we must look upon the date of 2004 as an opportunity and not a threat”.

Apart from talks with Papandreou, Gul also met with Prime Minister Costas Simitis for nearly one hour in what was described as “a very good climate”, as well as meeting with President Costis Stephanopoulos at the presidential mansion before later attending a reception in his honour.