PM Erdogan pays historic visit to Greece

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has expressed support for
the Greek nation, which is suffering from a severe economic crisis.
This was announced in an interview to a Greek TV channel prior to his
visit to Athens.
"I call on the Greek people for patience. The Greek people should be
given support to overcome this difficult period. Turkey will always be
on your side. This is why I'm planning a visit to Greece. I believe it
is possible to raise Greece to its feet again through mutual efforts",
Erdogan noted.
Regarding problematic issues, including the continental shelf issue,
Prime Minister Erdogan drew attention to the importance of diplomacy,
saying: "A zero problem policy is the basic principle of our
government. "How should we conceive of the Aegean? Will we look on it
as a separating factor, or as a unifying one? Being the Prime Minister
of the Turkish Republic, I desire the Aegean to be a sea of uniting
rather than separating. If we keep carrying out the process in this
direction, the Aegean will be the "Sea of Peace", noted the Turkish
Premier.
Turkish President Abdullah Gul, for his part, in an interview to the
Greek newspaper 'Katemerini', noted that relations between the states
should be intensified. Highlighting the process of rapprochement, he
said all the problems in Turkish-Greek relations should be resolved.
He also noted that the process of establishing air and naval ports
should go along with the process of establishing direct trade
relations with the Republic of Northern Cyprus.