Greek, Turkish foreign ministers to meet on November 8

Greek Foreign Minister George Gerapetritis will meet his Turkish counterpart Hakan Fidan in Athens on Nov. 8 to discuss bilateral issues including the demarcation of an exclusive economic zone, diplomatic sources said on Tuesday.

Greece and Turkey, NATO allies but historic foes, have been at odds for decades over matters ranging from airspace to maritime jurisdiction in the eastern Mediterranean, energy resources and ethnically split Cyprus.

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said last week he believed relations with Greece were improving and that the Gerapetritis-Fidan meeting was aimed at finding solutions to issues such as maritime zones and airspace.

The foreign ministers have been tasked with exploring whether conditions were favourable to initiate talks on the demarcation of the continental shelf and economic zone, Gerapetritis said last month.

An agreement on where their maritime zones begin and end is important for determining rights over possible gas reserves and power infrastructure schemes.

A high-level cooperation council, at which the countries will assess progress, is expected to take place in Ankara in January.