Economic crisis; a curse or a blessing for Turkish-Greek relations
According to the statement made on Feb. 22, Greece notified the United Nations of Turkey’s granting of exploration permits for areas of the Greek continental shelf.
I recalled writing a lot of news articles in the first decade of my career in the 90’s that would deal with the contention between Turkey and Greece on the “continental shelf” issue. When I saw Greece’s statement, I just could not remember when the last time was in the last decade that I wrote anything about this issue.
As Greece’s statement was shortly followed by an official reaction from the Turkish Foreign Ministry, the thought of whether Turkey and Greece might go back to past confrontational periods quickly crossed my mind.
Ironically, there were not many newspapers in Turkey that published the statements. Actually, most preferred news pieces about the visit of the Greek Prime Minister, with a big delegation, scheduled for March 4. Ankara and Athens are planning to sign nearly 20 agreements, said the news. So, it looked as if the two capitals decided to continue with the “engagement” policy that dominated their relations much of the last decade.
But then how to explain these reciprocal (negative) statements just ahead of a visit that is expected to give a new push to improved ties between the two countries?
When you take into consideration the energy background, at first glance there seems to be reason to be worried about potential tension between the two capitals. Crippled under an economic crisis, Greece’s need for cheaper energy is more acute than ever, while the same need is also valid for Turkey, since with a growing economy, its energy demand in terms of quantity is even bigger than that of Greece.
There is recently a focus on the Eastern Mediterranean. The discoveries by GreekCypriots and Israelis have generated excitement while Turkey seems to be shifting its exploration activities from the Black Sea to the Mediterranean. But the experts I have talked to as well as reports I have read do not indicate a potential reason for “war.” It is therefore a bit difficult to understand the timing of the Greek government’s decision to complain to the UN about a step Turkey took last summer, just ahead of a high-profile visit by the Greek prime minister.
Turkish officials seem to be convinced that this was done for domestic purposes, in order to silence those “ultra-nationalist-radical” circles that cannot accept the idea thatGreece has fallen into a position where a former “foe” is now offering to help. help.
It looks like the economic crisis poses a dilemma in Turkish-Greek relations: On the one hand, it is only to the benefit of Greece to improve its relations with the big market to its east as one of the ways out of the economic crisis. Yet the same economic crisis that becomes a critical motivation in furthering relations also becomes an obstacle, since economic hardship feeds ultra-nationalism and radicalism leading to opposition to cooperation with Turkey.
Time will tell whether economic crises will be a curse or a blessing for Turkish-Greek relations. The fact that both countries finished their reciprocal statements about the continental shelf issue with their desire to maintain good relations leaves room for optimism.
March/05/2013 ΠΗΓΗ: http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com
ΜΙΑ ΠΑΡΑΛΛΛΗΛΗ ΠΑΡΟΥΣΙΑΣΗ ΤΩΝ ΕΛΛΗΝΟΤΟΥΡΚΙΚΩΝ ΣΧΕΣΕΩΝ ΚΆΝΕΙ ΣΕ ΑΛΛΟ ΣΗΜΕΊΟ ΤΗς Η ΊΔΙΑ ΕΦΗΜΕΡΊΔΑ
Turkey and Greece are set to foster their economic ties further, with both sides pleased at the state of their existing relationship, the prime ministers of the two neighboring countries said yesterday.
“We have increased the trade volume between the two countries by more than 100 percent in the last decade,” Turkish Prime MinisterRecep Tayyip Erdoğan said yesterday in Istanbul at the Turkey-Greece Business Forum, also attended by his Greekcounterpart Antonis Samaras.
Samaras was on a one-day official visit to Turkey during which he met Erdoğan and President Abdullah Gül, before attending the forum.
The trade volume between Turkey and Greece reached $5 billion last year despite the economic crisis, Erdoğan said, adding that even that level is not enough.
“We agreed to raise the bilateral trade to $10 billion as soon as possible, and the groups to realize this - Greek businessmen and Turkish businessmen - are here today,” Erdağan said.
Greek Prime Minister Samaras was also happy with the visit. “Today is a good day for Greek-Turkish relations,” he said, adding that the two countries’ relationship was not “fully aligned” and that “careful steps” had to be taken to build trust.
“The fact we got together today is proof that Turks and Greeks can sit around the table and talk,” Samaras said.
Rifat Hisarcıklıoğlu, the head of the Union of Chamber and Commodity Exchanges of Turkey (TOBB), said the bilateral agreements would serve to overcome difficulties of tradesmen, as non-institutional areas of trade created problems for business.
$10 billion trade target
“Greek investments in Turkey reached $6.6 billion in 10 years, putting Greece the fifth-most-invested country in Turkey,” Gül said at his meeting with Samaras earlier in the day, at his residence in the Tarabya district of Istanbul.
He said the number of Turkish companies investing in Greece had also increased significantly, especially in banking and maritime affairs, adding that new cooperation opportunities on energy and tourism could be considered.
Resolution of historical political issues – most significantly the Cyprus issue - would lead to the development of even stronger economic bonds, Erdoğan also added, putting particular stress on the benefits and actual easiness of a solution, which would further develop a peaceful environment for investments and trade.
He said the price of wars and disputes was high for countries, both economically and emotionally, and his government along with Samaras’ would be able to “overcome the Cyprus issue and resign the ongoing problems to history.”
“I believe we [the Turkish government] can resolve this [Cyprus] issue with the Samaras government, which also has a strong will, by taking steps forward. I hope we will secure important results for regional peace, security and stability.”
Also touching upon the continental shelf issue, Erdoğan said the two countries had been in talks for a while and he saw no reason not to reach a consensus over controversial issues, as long as the intentions of the parties were good.
The question of oil and gas exploration in the Aegean was one of the key issues on the agenda, and both leaders made only brief references to it. Both Athens and Ankararecently sent diplomatic notes to the United Nations to complain about the other side’s stance on the issue.
Samaras said the continental shelf rights Greece had as a result of the Law of the Sea were “clear.”
Erdoğan said the two sides would be in a win-win situation if they could come to an agreement on the issue.
Erdoğan, who referred to his Greek counterpart Samaras as “my friend,” said Turkey and Greece had signed 25 bilateral agreements in Istanbul.
The new deals, which differ across a wide area of cooperation from health to culture and tourism, illegal immigration and energy, has put the number of agreements between two countries to 47 in total.
ΜΙΑ ΠΑΡΑΛΛΛΗΛΗ ΠΑΡΟΥΣΙΑΣΗ ΤΩΝ ΕΛΛΗΝΟΤΟΥΡΚΙΚΩΝ ΣΧΕΣΕΩΝ ΚΆΝΕΙ ΣΕ ΑΛΛΟ ΣΗΜΕΊΟ ΤΗς Η ΊΔΙΑ ΕΦΗΜΕΡΊΔΑ
Athens, Ankara seek further warming of ties to boost trade
Turkish-Greek mutual trade, which reached $6.6 billion in ten years, promises even a larger potential, the prime ministers of the two neighbors believe
Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan shakes hands with Greek Prime Minister Antonis Samaras in Istanbul before two hold a joint press meeting. DAILY NEWS photo, Emrah GÜREL
“We have increased the trade volume between the two countries by more than 100 percent in the last decade,” Turkish Prime MinisterRecep Tayyip Erdoğan said yesterday in Istanbul at the Turkey-Greece Business Forum, also attended by his Greekcounterpart Antonis Samaras.
Samaras was on a one-day official visit to Turkey during which he met Erdoğan and President Abdullah Gül, before attending the forum.
The trade volume between Turkey and Greece reached $5 billion last year despite the economic crisis, Erdoğan said, adding that even that level is not enough.
“We agreed to raise the bilateral trade to $10 billion as soon as possible, and the groups to realize this - Greek businessmen and Turkish businessmen - are here today,” Erdağan said.
Greek Prime Minister Samaras was also happy with the visit. “Today is a good day for Greek-Turkish relations,” he said, adding that the two countries’ relationship was not “fully aligned” and that “careful steps” had to be taken to build trust.
“The fact we got together today is proof that Turks and Greeks can sit around the table and talk,” Samaras said.
Rifat Hisarcıklıoğlu, the head of the Union of Chamber and Commodity Exchanges of Turkey (TOBB), said the bilateral agreements would serve to overcome difficulties of tradesmen, as non-institutional areas of trade created problems for business.
$10 billion trade target
“Greek investments in Turkey reached $6.6 billion in 10 years, putting Greece the fifth-most-invested country in Turkey,” Gül said at his meeting with Samaras earlier in the day, at his residence in the Tarabya district of Istanbul.
He said the number of Turkish companies investing in Greece had also increased significantly, especially in banking and maritime affairs, adding that new cooperation opportunities on energy and tourism could be considered.
Resolution of historical political issues – most significantly the Cyprus issue - would lead to the development of even stronger economic bonds, Erdoğan also added, putting particular stress on the benefits and actual easiness of a solution, which would further develop a peaceful environment for investments and trade.
He said the price of wars and disputes was high for countries, both economically and emotionally, and his government along with Samaras’ would be able to “overcome the Cyprus issue and resign the ongoing problems to history.”
“I believe we [the Turkish government] can resolve this [Cyprus] issue with the Samaras government, which also has a strong will, by taking steps forward. I hope we will secure important results for regional peace, security and stability.”
Also touching upon the continental shelf issue, Erdoğan said the two countries had been in talks for a while and he saw no reason not to reach a consensus over controversial issues, as long as the intentions of the parties were good.
The question of oil and gas exploration in the Aegean was one of the key issues on the agenda, and both leaders made only brief references to it. Both Athens and Ankararecently sent diplomatic notes to the United Nations to complain about the other side’s stance on the issue.
Samaras said the continental shelf rights Greece had as a result of the Law of the Sea were “clear.”
Erdoğan said the two sides would be in a win-win situation if they could come to an agreement on the issue.
Erdoğan, who referred to his Greek counterpart Samaras as “my friend,” said Turkey and Greece had signed 25 bilateral agreements in Istanbul.
The new deals, which differ across a wide area of cooperation from health to culture and tourism, illegal immigration and energy, has put the number of agreements between two countries to 47 in total.
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