Turkish Fm Talks With Greek Counterpart In Show Of Solidarity

- Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu has spoken with his Greek counterpart, Nikos Kotzias, upon the latter’s request, the Turkish Foreign Ministry said late June 29.

The two ministers exchanged views on Greece’s economic crisis and bilateral cooperation between the two Aegean neighbors, which noted that Kotzias’ recent tour of the Balkans was also discussed.

A separate statement by the Greek Foreign Ministry underlined that the conversation took place “in a very warm atmosphere.”

“Mr. Çavuşoğlu assured Mr. Kotzias of the solidarity of the Turkish people and the political and state leadership of Turkey with the Greek government’s efforts to reach a mutually beneficial agreement with its partners in the eurozone” the Greek Foreign Ministry said.

Greece’s bailout program ends June 30, when the country is unlikely to make a 1.6 billion euro ($1.8 billion) repayment to the International Monetary Fund. Athens and creditors from the IMF and the eurozone failed to agree on the terms of an extension.

Turkey’s Aegean neighbor will conduct a referendum on July 5 about whether to continue with the harsh austerity measures that have been dictated by international creditors, impoverishing the country.