Turkey and Greece sign 25 agreement to boost relations

Turkey and Greece signed 25 agreements to boost bilateral relations at a high level meeting in Turkey's Istanbul city on Monday. These agreements were inked by Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his Greek counterpart Antonis Samaras at the end of Turkish-Greek High Level Strategic Partnership Council summit held in Istanbul. Under these agreements, the two neighbors will strengthen their cooperation in fields of energy, transport, information, media, sports, healthcare service, agriculture, education, tourism and others. Among issues topping the agenda of talks between the two sides are peace talks over the island of Cyprus, rights of Turkish minorities in Greece's Western Thrace region and the Greek Orthodox community in Turkey, disputes in the Aegean, illegal immigration and bilateral economic relations. Erdogan told a press conference that the high level cooperation council meeting was a milestone in the bilateral relations, while Samaras, for his part, said the meeting indicates that the two countries can sit together and solve outstanding problems. The two sides agreed to closely follow the implementation of the inked agreements and stay close in the upcoming period. When asking about the northern Cyprus issue, Erdogan said at the press conference "As politicians, we want to solve problem rather than creating problem." Cyprus has been divided since 1974 when Turkey militarily intervened and controlled the north of Cyprus following a coup on the island by Greek army officers. The Turkish community on the northern part declared independence in the 1980s but the region is recognized only by Turkey. Also on Monday, Samaras met with Turkish President Abdullah Gul in Istanbul's Tarabya Palace. According to a statement issued by the Turkish presidency, the Greek prime minister lauded Turkey's "successful economic performance" in recent years, noting that investment of Turkish companies in Greece is exemplary and his government wants to see these initiatives continue.