Greek-Turkish Economic Commission To Convene After 11-Year Hiatus - Athens

The Greek-Turkish Joint Economic Commission will hold its first meeting on Monday after 11-year inactivity and sign a protocol after the session, the Greek Foreign Ministry said

ATHENS (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 21st January, 2022) The Greek-Turkish Joint Economic Commission will hold its first meeting on Monday after 11-year inactivity and sign a protocol after the session, the Greek Foreign Ministry said.

"This is the fifth meeting of the commission, which was set up in 2000 under the Agreement on Economic Cooperation between Greece and Turkey and which resumes its work 11 years after its past meeting in October 2010," the ministry said in a statement on Friday.

Greek Deputy Foreign Minister for Economic Diplomacy and Openness Kostas Fragogiannis and Turkish Deputy Trade Minister Mustafa Tuzcu are expected to sign the protocol.

The resumption of the work of the commission was welcomed by Greek Tourism Minister Vassilis Kikilias and his Turkish counterpart, Mehmet Nuri Ersoy, the ministry added.

Relations between Greece and Turkey have soured over the past decades over territorial claims in the Mediterranean, illegal migration, and the Cyprus issue, which has been divided into the Greek and the Turkish parts since 1974, when Turkey invaded and occupied over 30% of the island. Both Cypriot communities are in talks about the political reunification of Cyprus for many years, but have not yet reached a compromise.