The last time a Greek defence minister visited Turkiye was back in 2002. Over those two decades, the neighbors saw their relations swing from co-operation towards confrontation. The last few years were especially tense, following a series of standoffs both in the open sea, and along their border. But following the devastating February 6th quakes that struck southern Turkiye, Greece stepped forward as one of the first countries to provide relief supplies and rescue teams.

Turkish Defence Minister Hulusi Akar, together with his Greek counterpart Nikos Pana-gio-top-oulos, held a joint news conference in Hatay, which suffered some of the most damage from the quakes. Akar spoke on how the two countries needed to resolve their differences through dialogue.

Guests:

Emete Gozuguzelli

Associate Professor at ASBU

Dimitris Tsahouras

Senior Research Fellow at ELIAMEP