Greece–Turkey relations

The Greek Patriarchate of Fener in Istanbul on Jan. 6 organized a ceremony for the Epiphany celebrations, one of the Orthodox Church's most important holidays, commemorating Jesus' baptism in the River Jordan.

Chairman of the National Defense Committee of the Turkish Grand National Assembly and former Defense Minister Hulusi Akar suggested that Turkish soldiers might one day swim to the Greek island of Kastellorizo, during a conference at Bursa Technical University on Friday.

The Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew invited more than 50 lonely Greeks from Istanbul to celebrate Christmas together with their spiritual father in a family-like atmosphere.

The dynamic entry of Turkey into the developments in Syria creates new challenges for Nicosia and Athens, as Turkey’s effort to establish faits accomplis by enforcing its own “law in the Eastern Mediterra

Greece dismissed Turkey's plans for a maritime agreement with Syria, describing the Syrian government as a "transitional authority" incapable of signing legally valid agreements.

The statement followed Turkish Transport Minister Abdulkadir Uraloglu's announcement on Tuesday of discussions to define maritime boundaries with Syria.

Greek diplomatic sources commented on the statements of a Turkish minister who revealed that Ankara is very close to reaching an agreement on delimiting an Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) with Syria.

Athens remains vigilant and ready to collaborate with partners and allies in addressing a potential scenario involving the delineation of an exclusive economic zone (EEZ) between Turkey and Syria - a move that could undermine the Republic of Cyprus' interests in the Eastern Mediterranean.

PASOK President Nikos Androulakis urged the Greek government to prevent a Turkish-Syrian EEZ agreement following the Libyan model, in his statement during the pre-summit proceedings of the European Socialists in Brussels on Thursday.