Recep Tayyip Erdogan: We want to take positive steps with Mitsotakis – what he said about Rhodope

Recep Tayyip Erdogan also talked about the grain deal, which seems to have finally been extended.

Recep Tayyip Erdoğan made remarks on a number of issues, while also commenting on the meeting with Kyriakos Mitsotakis in Vilnius at the NATO Summit.

#broke down Together with Greek Prime Minister Mitsotakis, as leaders who won the elections, ‘we want to take our steps in a positive direction,’ said Turkish President Erdogan pic.twitter.com/z736YMv7po

– Yeni Şafak English (yenisafakEN) July 14, 2023

“From the point of view of history, our experiences are a given and we do not wish to continue like this. Mr. Mitsotakis went through new elections, just like us. As two leaders who won the elections, we want to take steps in a positive direction,” the Turkish president said, among others.

Recep Tayyip Erdogan also referred to the issue of the Rhodope Mountains and Western Thrace as a whole, as Kyriakos Mitsotakis revealed yesterday in his television interview that it is one of the topics of discussion between the two leaders.

The Turkish president said, “The main issue that I raised with him is related to the problems of Western Thrace. We want to bypass these…to overcome the problem of muftis. Our ambassadors will hold meetings and make preparations as well as our foreign ministers and after that the two leaders will meet and take the necessary steps.”

to the Black Sea Agreement

Referring to the grain deal, Recep Tayyip Erdogan said, “Turkey and Russia are on ‘the same page’ regarding the extension of the Black Sea grain deal,” while Moscow appears to have agreed to extend the deal, which expires next week.

Erdogan then added, “We hope to extend the Black Sea grain agreement,” adding that Russian President Vladimir Putin is expected to visit Turkey in August.

“Together with Greek Prime Minister Mitsotakis, as leaders who won the elections, we want to take our steps in a positive direction” – Turkish President Erdogan pic.twitter.com/3Pfu17kid7

– TRT World (trtworld) July 14, 2023

The European Union representative said yesterday that the European Commission is assisting the United Nations and Turkey in their efforts to extend this agreement and that it is open to “exploring all solutions”.

The United Nations and Turkey brokered the Black Sea Grains Initiative last July in an effort to help address a global food crisis exacerbated by Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine and blockade of Black Sea ports.