Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras received his Turkish counterpart Binali Yildirim on Monday morning at the Maximos Megaron government house, where he expressed his "standing conviction" that relations based on trust and cooperation between two countries are mutually beneficial.
Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras received his Turkish counterpart Binali Yildirim on Monday morning at the Maximos Megaron government house, where he expressed his "standing conviction" that relations based on trust and cooperation between two countries are mutually beneficial.
"We look forward to the prospects we have in the coming period to face, in a productive manner, significant challenges and approach decades-old open issues with courage, in order to provide solution," Tsipras said.
He also said the Yildirim visit comes amid a very interesting period in bilateral relations, developments in the wider region and EU-Turkey relations.
"We've always believed that the things that divides us are much less than what those that unites us," he said in receiving the visiting Turkish prime minister. The Turkish prime minister will later be received by Greek president Prokopis Pavlopoulos and subsequently hold a meeting with main opposition New Democracy (ND) leader Kyriakos Mitsotakis.
He is also set to tour the northeast region of Thrace, the Greek province that borders with Turkey's European portion.During the subsequent meeting with Pavlopoulos, Yildirim expressed a "hope" that "would-be Putschists would not attempt a coup in Greek-Turkish relations."
On his part, Pavlopoulos, who veteran Greek politician elected as head of state by the country's Parliament, said the Greek people have always wanted good-neighborly and friendly relations with Turkey.