Positive agenda in Greek-Turkish relations

Shipping Minister Christos Stylianides met on Friday in Istanbul with the Turkish Minister of Transport and Infrastructure Abdulkadir Uraloglu. 

Stylianides underlined that the maritime sector is an integral part and an important part of the positive agenda in Greek-Turkish relations. 

Stylianides and Uraloglu confirmed the close cooperation between the two countries in the maritime sector and at the level of the International Maritime Organization (IMO) in which, he said, there is mutual support in various circumstances.

Stylianides briefed his Turkish minister on European initiatives in the IMO, particularly in the field of decarbonisation of maritime transport.  "We remain committed to the implementation of international rules and obligations, in terms of safety of navigation, protection of trade routes, decarbonisation of shipping and protection of the marine environment - especially today, at a time of geopolitical uncertainties," he said.

The meeting between Stylianides and Uraloglu, the first since 2017 at the level of ministers responsible for shipping, took place 24 hours after the 6th meeting of the Joint Maritime Commission of Greece and Turkey. 

According to Stylianides, the results of the 6th meeting will serve "as a road map for our cooperation in various areas, such as maritime connections for the transport of goods and passengers between Greek and Turkish ports". In particular, Stylianides mentioned three specific areas of cooperation. Firstly, maritime connections which, he said, have created a win-win situation; secondly, the provision of short-term visas to Turkish citizens to visit the Greek islands. And thirdly, maritime tourism which is on the rise.  Stylianides also invited the Turkish minister to visit Athens.

For his part, the Turkish Minister of Transport and Infrastructure Abdulkadir Uraloglu said that he had very useful discussions with Stylianides on competitiveness in the shipping sector.

"We agreed on growth and expansion of the private sector. We have a very good cooperation in IMO, the International Maritime Organization, and we agreed that we should definitely develop it further. We also discussed how we can work together on de-mining and green energy. We exchanged views on the impact on the shipping sector due to world events and wars. In this context, we also assessed the impact of the ongoing war in Ukraine and Palestine. We will visit Greece as soon as possible and I would like to take this opportunity to thank him (Christos Stylianides) again for his visit to our country."

AMNA