Erdogan set to hold contacts with Samaras

In an interview with state-owned Greek television station ERT prior to his meeting with his Greek counterpart Antonis Samaras in Istanbul, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that Turkey did not want to adopt a policy based on rumors regarding its relations with Greece. "While we consider the partnership between the two countries as strategic, we want to add a different dimension to this partnership," Erdogan said. Touching on the agenda of his talks with Samaras who is set to arrive in Turkey today along with a crowded delegation involving some ministers and businesspeople, Erdogan said that the delegations would discuss a number of issues such as tourism, energy, telecommunications and defense.  In the interview, Erdogan also emphasized that the trade volume between the two countries reached $5 billion in 2012. "$3.5 billion is the amount of Greece's exports and $1.5 billion is the amount of Turkey's exports to Greece. We are moving forward, protecting the due rights of the neighbors and with solidarity," Erdogan said, adding that he expected tomorrow's meeting to be vitally important for boosting cooperation among both countries.