Bagis calls for "taboo-breaking" debates on Turkish-Greek relations

A new approach to some longstanding issues between Turkey and Greece will help further improve ties between the two Aegean neighbors, Egemen Bagis, Ankara's chief negotiator for European Union accession talks, told Greek media over the weekend. Bagis said the persistence of problems between the two countries serves no one's interests. "We need to sit down and discuss taboo issues, issues that have become matters of pride," he was quoted as saying by Greek newspaper Typos tis Kiryakis yesterday. "Rehashing the same statements never did anyone any good in the past and won't in the future either." He added, "We may not have made the desired progress yet, but we can sincerely say that our governments and peoples share the same approach to overcoming unresolved issues." Bagis also described issues of the Greek and Turkish minorities in the two countries as matters of human rights, stressing that these should be addressed by both countries' governments with good will.