Turkish ambassador in Athens: Turkey and Greece are more than neighbours, Aegean issues remain

A reception in Athens

Turkey's ambassador to Greece, Tsagatay Ertzigez, spoke on Thursday evening, 29 October, at a reception marking the 103rd anniversary of the Turkish Republic. Deputy Foreign Minister Alexandra Papadopoulou attended, along with members of parliament, diplomats, military officers and journalists. He opened by pointing to progress in Turkey's economic development, industry, education, science and technology, before turning to bilateral relations. His remarks stressed the better atmosphere between the two neighbours while acknowledging that the Aegean dispute remains unresolved.

“Turkey and Greece are something more than neighbours. Geography, history, culture and the close ties between our peoples bind us.”

Ertzigez said cooperation had widened in trade, investment, tourism and culture, as well as in curbing irregular migration and organised crime. He pointed to the Athens Declaration, signed in December 2023 during Recep Tayyip Erdogan's visit to the Greek capital, as a common framework for taking the relationship further. He urged both sides to make full use of it.

Tourism and trade figures

According to figures he presented, about 1.5 million Turkish citizens visited Greece in 2025, while more than 620,000 Greeks travelled to Turkey. In the same year, bilateral trade reached $6.7 billion. He presented those numbers as evidence of the momentum built up in economic relations between the two countries.

Turkish citizens visiting Greece (about)1,500,000

Greeks travelling to Turkey (more than)620,000

Turkish citizens visiting Greece (about)

1500000 people

Greeks travelling to Turkey (more than)

620000 people

Data from the article text

Aegean issues still open

Ertzigez acknowledged that the better climate has not been matched by progress on outstanding issues, especially in the Aegean. He said a specific dialogue on those questions had not yet begun. Turkey, he said, remained committed to settling its differences through substantive dialogue in line with international law and the principles of good neighbourliness. He argued that, as two neighbours, only the two countries bear responsibility for resolving their disputes, while friends and partners can help by encouraging dialogue.

He also said trust mattered as much as dialogue.

“Turkey does not pose a threat to its neighbours, including Greece. We seek peace, stability, prosperity and cooperation in our region, while safeguarding our legitimate rights and interests.”

He cited an earlier remark by Erdogan, made at the United Nations in New York, that Turkey is not Greece's enemy but its neighbour and NATO ally, and that bilateral relations are too sensitive to be turned into a tool of electoral exploitation.

Wider context

The speech came against a sharper backdrop. In his address at the United Nations, Kyriakos Mitsotakis denounced the Turkish-Libyan memorandum as illegal and contrary to the international law of the sea. Erdogan has also warned that Turkey would "neutralise" those who try to obstruct its aims. Ertzigez's remarks on good neighbourliness were delivered on the same day as this harder rhetoric from Ankara, which leaves the reception's conciliatory tone sitting alongside unresolved disputes over the Aegean and the memorandum.