Presidency's Head of Communications Altun remarked, "Mutual and sincere efforts will also contribute to global peace, stability, and security."
Head of Communications Altun provided a reminder during his address at the Turkish-Greek Media and Academy Forum hosted in a hotel in İstanbul, that they were holding the third edition of a series of panels organised as part of the forum.
Nothing his firm belief that these panels would further contribute to strengthening, reinforcing and deepening Turkish-Greek relations, which have been gaining momentum through good neighbourly relations and dialogue, Head of Communications Altun expressed hope for the panels to be productive and yield fruitful outcomes for both countries and people.
Head of Communications Altun emphasised that relations between Türkiye and Greece are first and foremost a neighbourly relationship and are shaped by the geographical proximity of these two countries, noting that the geopolitical location of these two nations places them in one of the most challenging regions of the world.
Head of Communications Altun noted that while the two country's geographic proximity, which ties them together and common geopolitical challenges, are frequently brought up when discussing their relations, enjoying strong historical, cultural, and social ties is also a highly significant aspect in Türkiye-Greece relations.
Highlighting how they have acknowledged and maintained these ties across centuries in various areas, Altun said that both nations' similar tastes, from the food on their tables to the songs they sing, have frequently brought them closer together.
"Mutual and sincere efforts will also contribute to global peace, stability, and security"
Pointing out that these ties between Turkish and Greek societies diversify the cultures and cultural assets and enrich their everyday lives, Head of Communications Altun noted, "This undeniably offers an exceptional opportunity and resource for both Türkiye and Greece. Recent tragic events have once again revealed just how strong these ties are. These deep ties between countries are captured by the spirit of solidarity that emerged in the midst of recent disastrous events, such as the earthquakes that struck Türkiye on February 6 and the massive wildfires that ravaged Greece. The friendship and solidarity between Türkiye and Greece is a noteworthy achievement that demands ongoing diplomatic initiatives to build on and expand. I am confident that sincere bilateral efforts between Türkiye and Greece will not only contribute to our respective nations but will also contribute to the peace, stability, and prosperity of our region. Therefore, it will further contribute to global peace, stability, and security."
Recalling how President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan stressed the significance of establishing relationships of cooperation between Türkiye and Greece in a manner that serves as "an example for the world" during his early December 2023 visit to Athens, Head of Communications Altun stated:
"It goes without saying that these initiatives have immense global significance in addition to their vast bilateral and regional benefits. Just take a moment to reflect on the crises we have faced since 2020... The pandemic, financial crises, food crises, disruptions in the supply chains, energy supplies and so forth. On top of this, the Russia-Ukraine war... Israel's rash hostilities in Gaza, which have persisted since October 7, that continue to put at risk not only the Middle East but also global peace... With everything considered, it becomes loud and clear that we are living in an era of global uncertainty in the truest sense of the word. And when we look at this scene on a global scale, we face two fundamental truths. The very first truth is that global peace and stability rest on an extremely delicate balance. The second truth is that the international system in which we exist as humans is incapable of preserving peace and stability."
Noting global actors are ineffective and lack policy and influence on the global political scene, Head of Communications Altun stated: "The necessity for regional stabilising forces is glaringly evident. At this time, strong, stable, and prosperous regional actors must be proactive. At present, regional actors such as Türkiye and Greece must resolve their own issues in light of mutual understanding and national interests without guidance, tutelage, or oppression by third parties. This is precisely the reason that any collaborative initiative between Türkiye and Greece is more significant and valuable now than it was in the past."
Upcoming visit by Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis of Greece
Head of Communications Altun emphasised how essential it is that these initiatives be encouraged and backed with profound enthusiasm and sincerity, saying:
"Türkiye attaches great significance to fostering good neighbourly relations with Greece and approaches the matter with an awareness of these opportunities. Following a seven-year absence, both countries affirmed their will to seize these opportunities on a leadership level by convening the 5th High-Level Cooperation Council meeting in Athens on December 7. The 15 cooperation agreements and the Athens Declaration signed at the meeting serve as the most significant testaments to this. Further noteworthy is the will demonstrated by our President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis of Greece to resolve our current issues through constructive dialogue, good neighbourly relations, and international law."
Informing that the "positive agenda" initiative kicked off in 2021 has been institutionalised through mutual visits, cooperation agreements, and events such as today's panel discussion, which gives them great pleasure, Altun said, "Furthermore, with regard to the enhancement of our bilateral relations, I wish to emphasise that the official visit of Prime Minister Kryiakos Mitsotakis of Greece to our country on Monday, May 13, is of utmost importance and a significant opportunity. In this regard, going forward, all conditions are in place to go beyond the potential to develop common solutions to regional and global issues. Türkiye-Greece relations have the potential for extremely fruitful cooperation in a variety of areas, including the economy, security, health, environment, education, media, communication, social security, culture and arts, trade, and tourism."
"We consider the introduction of travel conveniences such as visa-upon-arrival to be a major progress"
Head of Communications Altun wanted to bring attention to trade and tourism, among other areas of cooperation, which have suffered significant interruptions as a result of the pandemic, and said, "Since the pandemic, there has been a global effort to recover in terms of both trade and tourism. The United Nations (UN) World Tourism Organisation reports that the number of tourists increased by 34 per cent in 2023 compared to the previous year. International tourism has nearly rebounded to pre-pandemic levels, up 88 per cent. This performance is predicted to improve further by 2024, returning to pre-pandemic levels. Undoubtedly, this is a fantastic opportunity for Türkiye and Greece, where the tourism industry is well developed. As Türkiye, we view the introduction of travel facilities like visa-on-arrival as a significant development in this regard. Thanks to this agreement between the two nations, the bond and interaction between the Turkish and Greek people have been further strengthened."
Head of Communications Altun stated that the potential for both countries in the tourism industry extends beyond simply facilitating travel between them, and added: "Through sectoral cooperation, we have the opportunity to enhance the tourism potential of both countries and increase our global tourism market share. We must form different partnerships to enhance our mutual exchange of knowledge on a sector-specific level. Along these lines, we must rapidly put mechanisms in place to jointly address the challenges we face in the field of tourism."
Head of Communication Altun indicated that their countries are located at the crossroads of global trade supply chains, which provides them with a significant advantage for economic prosperity and development, and continued:
"During the official visit on December 7, an agreement was reached to expand the bilateral trade volume to 10 billion dollars. Leaders have expressed their commitment to this matter. Both Türkiye and Greece enjoy the world's most attractive tourism destinations, global importance in terms of trade and energy shipments as two important actors in the Mediterranean region, and geographical advantages in terms of collaborative investments in third countries in addition to mutual direct investments. These are the main economic opportunities for our countries. The lifting of quotas on road transportation and the liberalisation of the transit regime will also accelerate trade between Türkiye and Greece."
"This is why we attach great importance to communication and media collaborations between the two countries through such initiatives"
Head of Communications Altun noted that making the best and most efficient use of these opportunities is inextricably linked to enhancing existing channels of dialogue, cooperation and cooperation on a solid foundation, adding, "Now, I would like to bring your attention to another important point: In numerous ways, maintaining peace and stability in bilateral relations depends on robust information generation and the delivery of the generated information through reliable channels in the field of communication and media. The most solid foundation for the relationships between countries, states, governments and nations, as well as between individuals, is the ground of truth. As a result, ensuring information flows based on accurate information in the realm of communication and media is indispensable for establishing mutual trust. This is why we attach great importance to communication and media collaborations to further strengthen Türkiye-Greece relations. We are working towards collaborating with our counterparts to make progress in this direction."
Head of Communications Altun underlined that they could exchange experiences in a more in-depth manner by cooperating in the fields of media and communication and that this would provide them with greater opportunities to showcase their common socio-cultural values to the global community, thereby maximising the great tourism potential of both countries.
Indicating that an additional potential area of cooperation among our countries in the field of media and communication is the fight against disinformation, Head of Communications Altun said, "Disinformation, which has become one of the greatest challenges of our time, and the systematic production of false information are serious threats that must be combated. Combating them will save our people from the harmful effects of false information and prevent a negative impact on bilateral relations. There is no doubt that increasing the level of interaction between the Turkish and Greek communities through all available communication and media channels would create new opportunities for dialogue and cooperation."
Head of Communications Altun stated that the Turkish-Greek Media and Academy Forum, to which they are delighted to contribute as the Presidency's Directorate of Communications, is an extremely significant initiative in this regard. He added that they regard such initiatives as robust and decisive steps towards ensuring the upholding of the positive agenda in their bilateral relations with the utmost quality and noted that, as emphasised during the Athens panel discussion, they place significant importance on transforming this initiative into a platform for institutional dialogue. He also noted that they stand ready to contribute to all efforts to be undertaken to this end.
Highlighting that the panels organised under the Forum will make significant contributions to discovering new potential and broadening horizons in their bilateral relations, Head of Communications Altun concluded his remarks, saying:
"We must not forget that the benefits these relationships will provide for both sides far transcend the interests of third parties. It is important for Türkiye and Greece to engage in direct discussions about their relations and the issues that arise between them rather than discussing with others or third parties. And this is what we are doing. We know from history that when we communicate with each other, a favorable atmosphere develops between our countries and our relations improve through constructive dialogue, ultimately benefiting both states and both nations. Both countries should demonstrate mutual respect when addressing sensitive matters and work towards building trust between the Turkish and Greek communities. To quote our President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, we, as Türkiye, are working to "increase the number of our friends, not enemies." We also stand ready to lend support to any initiative that serves to consolidate and strengthen our friendly relationship with Greece. I would like to emphasise strongly that we will enhance and maintain our good neighbourly relations through improved, expanded, and diversified channels of dialogue. All we need is sincerity. All we need is to remain steadfast in our commitment to the truth. All we need is to maintain our relations based on justice and equity."
