Greek PM says he will meet Erdoğan
Tuesday, March 9, 2010
WASHINGTON - Hürriyet Daily News
Greece's prime minister said he would meet his Turkish counterpart, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, to symbolize a renewal of the two neighbors' rapprochement, which he said began years ago.
"We have not yet set the date, but it will be very soon. I would like to look at Greek-Turkish relations and Cyprus becoming a model of stability and peace, a model where we can work together and show the world that former foes can be the best of good partners in this globalizing world, where we have huge issues to deal with," Prime Minister George Papandreou said late on Monday during a joint press conference with U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in Washington.
While repeating his country's support for Turkey's European Union membership bid, Papandreou said there are certain changes and certain problems that need to be dealt with on Turkey's path to the EU. "Cyprus, which has divided our countries, because it is an island with a large number of occupying troops from the Turkish side. And we do need to liberate, I would say, this island from that type of activity and that type of a situation - allow the Greek Cypriots and the Turkish Cypriots to create their own path and their own future," he said.
The Greek prime minister also said he has given his full support to Greek Cypriot President Dimitris Christofias and his ongoing negotiations with Turkish Cypriot President Mehmet Ali Talat, adding that, "So very much support that the sooner the better, but of course, a just solution, which will also be within the framework of European law and legislation."
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