Greek Foreign Minister George Gerapetritis met his Turkish counterpart Hakan Fidan in Sofia on Wednesday. It was their first meeting since reports that Ankara plans to enshrine into law its expansive “Blue Homeland” maritime doctrine, which Greece categorically rejects.
The two ministers were in the Bulgarian capital for the South-East European Cooperation Process (SEECP) summit, a regional forum bringing together the countries of Southeastern Europe. They last met in February, when Gerapetritis traveled to Ankara for the Greece-Turkey High-Level Cooperation Council.
The encounter sent a clear signal that the lines between Athens and Ankara remain open, despite escalating tensions that have so far stayed largely rhetorical
According to diplomatic sources, the two ministers discussed the state of transatlantic relations ahead of July’s NATO summit in Ankara, as well as regional development in the Middle East and the Eastern Mediterranean.
On the planned legislation, Gerapetritis told Fidan that unilateral actions carry no legal weight and do little to preserve calm. He repeated Athens’ longstanding position that the only dispute between Greece and Turkey is the delimitation of the exclusive economic zone and the continental shelf, the maritime zones where coastal states exercise sovereign rights under international law.
The ministers also discussed recent developments regarding Cyprus,including an upcoming meeting with the UN secretary-general’s personal envoy for Cyprus and plans to hold an informal expanded meeting on the question.
Before parting, the two agreed to keep their channels of communication open.
