Turkey’s foreign minister is visiting Athens to help mend relations between the regional rivals

ATHENS, Greece (AP) — Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan arrived in Athens on Friday to meet with his Greek counterpart as part of efforts to ease tensions between the two neighbors and regional rivals.

Both NATO members, Greece and Turkey have been at loggerheads for decades over a range of issues, including volatile maritime boundary disputes that have twice brought them to the brink of war. The two have renewed a diplomatic push for more than a year to improve relations.

“Step by step, we have reached a level of trust so that we can sincerely discuss issues and prevent crises,” Greek Foreign Minister George Herapetritis said in an interview with Turkish newspaper Hurriyet published on Thursday.

The meeting between the two foreign ministers is a continuation of a series of high-level talks between Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in the framework of a relationship-building initiative launched in 2023.

Officials in Athens are expected to express concern growth of illegal migrationas Greece saw a surge in arrivals. And, despite deep disagreements about Israel and hostilities in the Middle EastThe two foreign ministers are also expected to explore ways to improve regional stability.

These talks will help prepare the ground for a high-level cooperation council between Greece and Turkey, scheduled for early 2025 in Ankara, Turkey.