Greek FM to visit Turkey on Sunday: Athens
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The Greek Foreign Minister is set to visit Turkey on Sunday in light of the catastrophe.
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Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias during a press conference in Serbia, April 5, 2021. (AP)
According to the Greek Foreign Ministry, Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias will visit Turkey on Sunday, his first visit since the two countries' leaders agreed to end communication in May 2022.
"The [Greek] foreign minister, who will be accompanied by his Turkish counterpart Mevlut Cavusoglu, during the visit will meet with members of the Greek relief mission, which operates in areas affected by recent earthquakes. In addition, the foreign minister will visit the operational center in Antiochia [Antakya], where he will be informed about the progress of the extraction and rescue of people from the rubble, as well as the need for humanitarian assistance that has arisen," the ministry said.
During the visit, the parties will also discuss ways to help Turkey recover from the devastating earthquakes.
Read next: Syria Earthquake: Number of deaths exceeds 4,400
Dendias also instructed Greece's Permanent Mission in Geneva to take steps to provide emergency humanitarian assistance to Turkey and Syria through the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, according to the country's Foreign Ministry.
Relations between Greece and Turkey have deteriorated significantly in recent years. Since May 2022, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has refused to communicate with Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis.
A series of powerful earthquakes and aftershocks struck parts of Turkey and Syria on Monday, killing over 24,000 people and destroying tens of thousands of homes.
