Greek PM Papandreou: "I want to show the world that old enemies can be firm friends"

Greek Prime Minister George Papandreou yesterday said that he would meet with his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan within a few months, and added, "I hope that Turkish-Greek relations will be a model for stability. I want to show the world that old enemies can be the best of partners through cooperating." At a joint press conference in Washington alongside US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Papandreou also spoke on the Cyprus issue. "The sooner a solution is reached, the better," he said, "We can't leave the island in this situation. I fully support [Greek Cypriot leader Demetris] Christofias to further negotiations to find one united solution." For her part, Clinton said that she and Papandreou spoke about Athens developing relations with Ankara, adding, "Greece and Turkey are NATO allies, two close friends of the United States, and a constructive relationship is in the interest of both nations."