Bagis says Turkey, Greece could overcome unresolved issues

Chief Negotiator for Turkey’s accession talks with the EU, State Minister Egemen Bagis, said Turkey and Greece could overcome the unresolved problems between them by adopting new approaches and discourses.

In an exclusive interview with Greek newspaper Athens Tipos tis Kiriakis published Sunday, Bagis made comments on Turkish-Greek relations and the minorities issue.

Bagis said everyone grasped that the deadlock in certain unresolved issues between the two countries favoured no one, noting that it was time to move ahead and bring new approaches and discourses in long standing issues to the benefit of both countries.

Bagis pointed out that for the first time since the time of Ataturk and Venezilos, governments of both countries reached out to each other with such vigour.

“We may not have made the desired progress yet, but we can sincerely say that our governments and peoples share the same approach in overcoming unresolved issues,” said Bagis.

He said the signing of 22 agreements and the establishment of the High Level cooperation Council between the two countries, was a milestone in Turkish-Greek relations. He said significant progress have been recorded in the commercial relations between the two countries, adding that the new target was boosting the trade volume from $2.7 billion to $5 billion.

Stressing that issues of Greek and Turkish minorities in the two countries were in fact a matter of human rights, Bagis said these should be addressed by the governments of the two countries on the basis of good will. Referring to the principal agreement between Turkish authorities and the Fener Greek Patriarchate to turn the disputed orphanage in Buyukada to an environmental institute, Bagis said this was just one of the major steps taken by the Turkish government about the Greek minority in Turkey.

He said the Heybeliada Seminary issue was Turkey’s internal affair. He said Turkey’s Greek Orthodox citizens had the right to practice their religions, expressing his confidence that Turkey would find a solution to this issue from an human rights perspective. He pointed out that the problems of the Turkish minority in Western Thrace was also a matter of human rights adding that he believed the Greek government would take the necessary steps to meet the demands of the Turkish population there.

Source: Worldbulletin