THE GUARDIAN: Recep Tayyip Ergodan visit aimed at soothing tensions with historic enemy and advising Greece on tackling debt crisis
Turkey's Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Ergodan flies into Athens tomorrow for a "revolutionary" visit aimed at soothing the often tense ties between the historic enemies – and helping Greece out of its worst debt crisis in decades.
With the red carpet rolled out as never before for the neo-Islamist leader, the Turkish foreign minister Ahmet Davutoglu said the landmark trip would not only improve co-operation but would "surmount the psychological threshold" that has long divided them.
Highlighting the seismic shift, the Greek government will hold an unprecedented joint cabinet meeting with Erdogan and his 10-strong entourage of ministers.
"We are trying to change the perception that the two countries are in competition with each other," said Davutoglu ahead of the two-day talks. "The visit is in a sense a revolution … we have to minimise tensions, but also maximise areas of co-operation so the notion of 'tension' is eradicated from the minds of the parties."
For most Greeks, the prospect of their longstanding eastern rival extending a helping hand, even a few years back, would have been inconceivable.
The two nations have nearly gone to war three times in the last 30 years. Deadlock over the war-divided island of Cyprus – invaded by Turkish troops in 1974 after an Athens-inspired attempt to annex it to Greece – and persistent tensions over territorial disputes in the Aegean have kept the two at loggerheads. Though Nato allies, both regularly exchange accusations over the treatment of respective ethnic minorities, the legacy of an exchange of populations in 1923. >>> Helena Smith in Athens | Thursday, May 13, 2010
Related / Lien en relation avec l’article:
LE TEMPS: Visite historique d’Erdogan à Athènes >>> Stéphane Bussard | Mercredi 12 Mai 2010
