UPI en Español  |   UPI Asia  |   About UPI  |   My Account
Search:
Go

Greek leader makes historic Turkish visit

|
 
Published: Jan. 23, 2008 at 8:23 AM

ANKARA, Turkey, Jan. 23 (UPI) -- Greek Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis arrived Wednesday in Turkey in what's seen as a historic trip between the two long-sparring countries.

The two countries have long been embroiled in territorial disputes, with the island of Cyprus being the focal point, and no Greek leader has officially set foot in Turkey since 1959, a BBC correspondent reported from Ankara.

Before departing Athens, Karamanlis told reporters he would reiterate Greece's support for Turkey's membership in the European Union, and said it was the right time to take action to boost bilateral relations, the Turkish newspaper The New Anatolian reported.

He noted in recent years there has been an improvement in bilateral trade and investments, tourism and the two nations have opened a joint gas pipeline.

Annual trade volume between Greece and Turkey was $200 million 10 years ago whereas it now stands around $3 billion, the Turkish Daily News said.

Karamanlis' three-day visit to Ankara will include meetings with his counterpart, Prime Minister Recep Erdogan.

Topics: Costas Karamanlis, Recep Tayyip Erdogan
© 2008 United Press International, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Any reproduction, republication, redistribution and/or modification of any UPI content is expressly prohibited without UPI's prior written consent.

Order reprints
Join the conversation
Most Popular Collections
'Star Trek Into Darkness' screening NBC upfronts Met Ball 2013
'Great Gatsby' premieres in New York Spire raised on top of One WTC 2013: Celebrity break ups and divorces
Additional Top News Stories
1 of 16
Tornadoes Devastate Moore, Oklahoma
View Caption
A damaged movie theater is seen in aftermath of a series of tornadoes in Moore, Oklahoma, May 21, 2013. On May 20 a series of tornadoes swept through severals towns south of Oklahoma City leaving a path of destruction and killing at least 24 people. UPI/J.P. Wilson
fark
Parents of identical Down's Syndrome twins applied for state benefits for their children - one child...
How to: Hit on your bartender. The correct answer is D) Just don't even bother, because you'll either...
Imaginative plumber builds the world's fastest fully-functioning toilet that can doo doo 55mph -...
Facebook pics led to arrest of alleged members of Crazy White Boys gang who will now be called the...
In response to yesterday's story about suburban poverty, it turns out that suburbia has more poverty...
Riots in Stockholm spread to suburbs. Look, we *all* can't win the Eurovision contest