Greek Foreign Minister Giorgos Gerapetritis met today, Monday, October 20, with Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan on the sidelines of the EU Foreign Affairs Council in Luxembourg.
According to diplomatic sources, the two ministers discussed bilateral relations, as well as recent regional and international developments. During the discussion, the Greek Foreign Minister said that the election of Tufan Erhurman as the new Turkish Cypriot leader in Cyprus occupied areas opens a new chapter of hope and expectation for the reunification of Cyprus, based on the UN Security Council Resolutions.
Specifically, the ministers exchanged views on developments in the Middle East and the importance of maintaining the ceasefire and fully implementing the first phase of the peace plan for Gaza, for the benefit of regional stability.
The Greek Foreign Minister briefed his counterpart on Greece’s position regarding the European defense industry and its commitment to building a stronger, more resilient, and strategically autonomous Europe. Additionally, Gerapetritis reiterated that the delimitation of the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) and continental shelf is the only difference between Greece and Turkey, while issues of sovereignty are not up for discussion.
Regarding the Eastern Mediterranean, Gerapetritis informed his Turkish counterpart about the Greek proposal for a meeting of the five coastal countries in the region-a 5+5 multilateral framework-and stressed that establishing such a cooperation scheme is useful due to the major geopolitical realignments worldwide.
Finally, the two ministers discussed the latest developments in the occupied territories of Cyprus and the upcoming informal expanded meeting on the Cyprus issue, expected to take place by the end of 2025. In this context, Gerapetritis reiterated that the election of Tufan Erhurman as the new Turkish Cypriot leader opens a new chapter of hope and expectation for the reunification of the island, based on the UN Security Council Resolutions.