Greek and Turkish prime ministers meet in eastern Turkey (Roundup)

Jan 7, 2011, 16:51 GMT

Istanbul - Greek Prime Minister George Papandreou met his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Erzurum, eastern Turkey on Friday in a visit aimed at improving relations that took place amidst a debate over border issues between the two countries.

'We must forget the rivalry and prejudices of the past. The potential of our hearts is very big and so is the potential of our cooperation,' Papandreou was quoted by Turkish newspaper Hurriyet Daily News as saying.

Papandreou and Erdogan spoke at the inauguration of a stadium that will host the 2011 Winter Universiade (World University Games) starting in late January.

The Greek leader emphasized recent efforts by himself and Erdogan to improve Turkey-Greece relations, which have traditionally been strained, and stated that Greece would support Turkey's bid to host the 2020 Olympics.

Erdogan also delivered a message of support for improved relations between the two Aegean nations. 'We are making intense efforts to turn the Aegean into a sea of peace and friendship. We must build a world in which peace prevails by leaving behind the mistakes of the past,' he said, according to Turkish media.

Papandreou also addressed the Third Conference of Turkish Ambassadors, a congress attended by about 200 of Turkey's foreign diplomats.

Despite historically tense relations, neighbouring Greece and Turkey have undergone a tentative rapprochement since a historic two- day visit by Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan to Greece in May. Erdogan also paid a courtesy visit to Athens in October for a climate change conference.

Greek Foreign Minister Dimitrios Droutsas also travelled to Erzurum on Friday and attended a meeting with his Turkish counterpart Ahmet Davutoglu.

Papandreou's Erzurum trip, planned since autumn 2010, followed a recent announcement by Greece of a controversial plan to build a 12.5-kilometre fence along part of its border with Turkey in an effort to block illegal migrants from entering the country.

Although Greek and Turkish leaders did not make any direct public statements about the border situation, Turkish media, citing Greek diplomatic sources, reported that the issue was discussed cooperatively and that Turkey and Greece will hold 'technical meetings' to address the flow of illegal migrants.

The Greek-Turkey border is one of the European Union's most vulnerable boundaries, which tens of thousands of migrants attempt to cross illegally each year.

On Friday, Greek media reported that Greek police had found the bodies of two men who had drowned while trying to cross the Evros River, which forms part of the boundary between Turkey and Greece.

Read more about Greece

Read more about Turkey Diplomacy