Greek Defense Minister Says Will Visit Earthquake-Hit Areas of Turkiye on April 4
A view of the hall of a hotel destroyed during an earthquake in Antakya, southeastern Turkiye, Monday, February 13, 2023. 
InternationalIndiaAfricaATHENS (Sputnik) – Greek Defense Minister Nikolaos Panagiotopoulos said on Thursday that he would visit the earthquake-affected areas of southeastern Turkiye on April 4 at the invitation of his Turkish counterpart, Hulusi Akar. NATO allies Greece and Turkiye have been at odds for decades, with the risk of an armed conflict arising several times. The disputed issues include competing territorial claims in the eastern Mediterranean, in particular in the region of the Aegean Sea, the Greek-Turkish divide in Cyprus, and the delimitation of maritime boundaries.
"A few days ago, in the context of exchanging messages of condolences in connection with the devastating earthquake in Turkiye, as well as the railway tragedy in Tempi, my colleague suggested that I visit the earthquake-affected areas … We have chosen April 4. We will visit the earthquake-affected areas in southeastern Turkiye," Panagiotopoulos told the Mega TV broadcaster.
He noted, however, that the trip did not aim to resolve all differences between Greece and Turkiye. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has refused to communicate with Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis since May 2022. However, in the event of disasters, the countries provide assistance to each other, as they did after the devastating earthquakes in Turkiye and Syria in February and the recent deadly train accident in Greece. On March 9, Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias said that the tragic events united the societies of the two countries and created a new atmosphere that should be used to normalize Greek-Turkish relations.
