Turkish- Greek Naval commanders meet

Amid rumors that Turkey has agreed to allow Greece to expand its territorial waters in the Aegean Sea , the commander of the Turkish Naval Forces met yesterday with his Greek counterpart. "We place great importance on improving relations between Greece and Turkey ," Adm. Ugur Yigit told reporters after the meeting. He said the visit to Turkey by Chief of the Hellenic Navy General Staff Dimitrios Elefsiniotis would boost ties between the two countries' navies. "The Turkish and Greek naval forces have been working together on regional and international platforms," he said. Elefsiniotis said mutual visits carry particular importance for Turkish-Greek relations, adding that recent meetings in Istanbul between officers from both nations were productive. "We laid the foundation for continued relations between the navies of both countries and young army officials," he said. Over the weekend Greek media reported that Ankara and Athens reached a deal under which Greece could expand its Aegean territorial waters from six nautical miles to 12, but Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan denied this. "No agreement has been reached on the 12 mile issue. Talks with Greece are still underway," he said.