"Turkey firm on Aegean
FM Gul invokes 1997 treaty on settling differences; downbeat on Cyprus
Turkey and Greece both have «legitimate and vital interests in the Aegean,» Turkish Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul told Kathimerini in an interview published yesterday.
«Both countries are bound by the Treaty of Madrid in 1997 to... settle their differences by peaceful means on the basis of mutual agreement,» Gul said, referring to a pact signed by former premiers Costas Simitis and Suleyman Demirel. Gul said Turkey «is determined to have good-neighborly relations with Greece» but avoided explaining why Turkish authorities refuse to annul the threat of war, or casus belli, over the possibility of Greece extending its territorial waters in the Aegean. Gul's comments came ahead of today's scheduled meeting in Istanbul between Greek Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis and his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan."
More:ekathimerini.com | Turkey firm on Aegean
