Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Sunday that he intends to strengthen bilateral relations with Greece and raise them to a historically unprecedented level.

He explained that the goal includes solving problems between the two counters, strengthening the friendship between them, and raising the level of bilateral relations to a historically unprecedented level.

"To this end, we, Turkey, have recently taken sincere and effective steps and intend to continue to do so," Erdogan said on Saturday in an interview with the Greek newspaper Kathimerini on the eve of Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis’ visit to Ankara, scheduled for May 13."

On another note, Erdogan stressed that Ankara does not recognize the agreement on the delimitation of maritime jurisdiction between Cyrpus and occupied Palestinian territories, which as concluded "between the Greek administration in southern Cyprus and "Israel", and rights and interests of the Turkish Cypriots - the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus - which are an important element of the island, were ignored." 

The president emphasized that Turkey's stake in exploiting energy resources in the Eastern Mediterranean shouldn't be overlooked.

Territorial disputes overlooked

For decades, NATO allies Greece and Turkey have been embroiled in disputes, with the threat of armed conflict looming on numerous occasions. Contentious issues include conflicting territorial claims in the Eastern Mediterranean, notably in the Aegean Sea region, the Greek-Turkish partition of Cyprus, and disagreements over maritime boundaries.

That said, Turkey has consistently accused Greece of deploying armaments on the Aegean Islands, alleging violations of the 1923 Lausanne Treaty.

During a meeting with Mitsotakis in Athens in early December 2023, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan expressed optimism, stating that there are no issues between Turkey and Greece that cannot be resolved. The sentiment was echoed by the Greek prime minister, who emphasized the importance of peaceful coexistence between Greece and Turkey, suggesting that disagreements should not automatically escalate into tensions.

In January last year, Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis told a news conference following controversial statements made by the Turkish leadership that Greece-Turkey relations will not see a "worst-case scenario" of armed conflict.

"No, I do not believe that we will have a 'hot episode.' I am concerned about Turkey's increased rhetoric. I urge Turkey to realize that turning foreign policy into a tool for intraparty use is not the right strategy," Mitsotakis said in Alexandroupolis, northern Greece when asked if a "worst-case scenario" in bilateral relations is possible.