Erdogan's Athens visit set to start new era in bilateral ties

Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan's two-day Athens visit, set to start this Friday, is expected to mark a new era in relations between Turkey and Greece. Erdogan will travel to Athens with 10 Cabinet ministers so the two countries can have the first meeting of their new High-Level Strategic Cooperation Council. During the visit, several cooperation agreements are planned to be signed. Erdogan's visit will also include a meeting of the Turkish-Greek Business Council, which both he and Greek Prime Minister George Papandreou will address. During the visit, Erdogan will have talks with Papandreou as well as President Karolos Papoulias, Parliament Speaker Philippos Petsalnikos, and opposition leader Andonis Samaras. Erdogan's busy itinerary precludes a visit to Western Thrace to meet the Turkish minority there, but he will meet with their representatives in Athens. Although Defense Minister Vecdi Gönül will not accompany Erdogan, it is expected that mutual reductions in military expenditures will be discussed in Erdogan's talks with Greek officials. Erdogan's visit comes as Greece is striving to cope with the impact of a severe financial crisis. Territorial disputes with Turkey in the Aegean have been a catalyst for an arms race between Greece and Turkey, and heavy military spending has played a role in the Greek economy's current dire straits. The two countries are expected to discuss ways to embrace the goal of easing mutual distrust and the arms race. As a result of the fierce competition with Turkey, Greece is now the biggest arms buyer in the European Union. Erdogan is also expected to extend Turkey's support to its neighbor in the face of the financial crisis. Other possible topics of discussion during the visit will include the situation of the Turkish minority in Greece, Turkey's EU accession process, and Aegean issues.