Presidency's Head of Communications Fahrettin Altun sent a video message to the Turkish-Greek Media and Academy Forum organised in Athens in collaboration with the Türkiye Research Foundation and the Institute of Global Affairs, American College of Greece.
Head of Communications Altun noted the following in his message:
Distinguished Participants,
Ladies and Gentlemen...
Welcome. I hope that the IV. Media and Academy Forum, "Turkish-Greek Relations from the Perspective of Culture and Sports", will improve dialogue while increasing mutual understanding and cooperation between our nations. It will give us a chance to answer the question of what we can collectively do to accomplish these goals.
Esteemed Friends,
Türkiye and Greece, as two ancient Aegean countries, have always answered the call for help in times of need and fulfilled their obligations as friends and neighbours to one another.
We are currently engaging in a positive dialogue in every possible sphere, as evidenced by this sense of mutual solidarity.
Our President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's visit to Athens on this day last year, after a 7-year pause, is a tangible indicator of this improved dialogue.
The "Athens Declaration on Friendly Relations and Good Neighbourliness," co-signed by Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis and President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan during this historic visit, covers opportunities for cooperation and communication between the two nations in all fields.
Our President's visit to Athens was followed by a reciprocal visit the Greek Prime Minister on May 13, 2024, which solidified the foundations of friendly relations and good neighbourliness outlined in the Athens Declaration.
Distinguished Participants,
As you are aware, there are countless things that unite and bring us closer.
Trade, tourism, energy, transportation, telecommunications, maritime activities, information and communication technologies, education, social security, health, environment... This is not a comprehensive list.
However, I would like to add to this list, sports and culture, the focus of today’s discussion.
The unifying nature and soft power of sports and culture will be what brings us together to listen and understand one another.
Today, Türkiye needs to listen and understand Greece more, as does Greece to Türkiye.
What binds two ancient neighbours together are far more than what separates them, as is well known to us all.
Our region particularly, plagued by wars, tensions, and risks such as irregular migration, it is necessary that we with our shared geography come together to foster closer dialogue. This can be made possible thanks to the soft power of culture and sports. And there comes into play the unifying nature of culture and sports as an element of soft power...
Greek athletes in Türkiye and Turkish athletes in Greece, with cultural ambassadors and artists on both sides of the Aegean, are the steel rope bridge of dialogue between us.
Thanks to that bridge we find ourselves with common artefacts.
One is the performance of William Shakespeare's "Romeo and Juliet" in Turkish, Greek, and English at the Atatürk Cultural Centre in İstanbul in April.
Academically, the “Turkish-Greek Media and Academy Forum,” organised in collaboration with the Türkiye Research Foundation and the Greek Institute of Global Affairs and supported by the Directorate of Communications, is also one example that enhances the positive momentum achieved in relations.
Distinguished Participants,
Our duty is to maintain the historical neighbourly relationship between Türkiye and Greece, addressing concerns we may have with one another rather than with others.
Our past experience demonstrates that the Turkish and Greek peoples benefit the most when we communicate and engage in constructive dialogue.
Our responsibility lies in mutually honouring our sensitivities.
As our President Erdoğan has repeatedly highlighted, we, as Türkiye, opt for "increasing the number of our friends."
We stand ready to support all efforts that will enhance and solidify our friendship with Greece.
I am confident that we will enhance and maintain our good neighbourly relations through improved 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 prioritise justice and equity as the foundation of our relations.
As I conclude my remarks with these sentiments and ideas, I hope that our programme will be beneficial for the people of both countries.
Thank you.