Erdogan's Greece trip to be Turkey's first presidential visit in 65 years

Recep Tayyip Erdogan will be the first Turkish president to visit Greece in 65 years, Deputy Prime Minister Hakan Cavusoglu said on Thursday.

Cavusoglu has not provided an exact date for the visit but said it will be made during the upcoming days and further improve the bilateral ties between Turkey and Greece.

"Our president will be the first Turkish president visiting Greece in 65 years. I think this visit will yield significant results," he added.

However, Greek newspaper Naftermporiki quoting Minister of Foreign Affairs Nikos Kotzias reported that Erdogan’s visit will probably take place at the end of November or the beginning of December.

The newspaper also said the two countries were willing to hold bilateral talks every six months.

Pointing to the recent high-level visits to Greece from Turkey, Cavusoglu said Erdogan’s visit would complement the previous meetings.

The minister said a High-Level Cooperation Council meeting would take place in Thessaloniki in February, noting three planned projects between the two countries.

The first one concerns ferry services to transport passengers and goods from Turkey’s western Izmir province to Thessaloniki, Cavusoglu said.

The second one is a high-speed train service project between Istanbul and Thessaloniki, and the third project is a bridge between Greece’s Kipoi and Turkey’s Ipsala border crossings.

Turkey’s third president Celal Bayar was the last Turkish president to visit Greece in 1952.