Greece's debt crisis is expected to serve as a medium to improve ties with traditional foe Turkey, during the landmark visit of Turkey's prime minister to Athens on Friday, according to dpa. The visit of Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, his first official trip to Athens since 2004, is expected to signal a new era of rapprochement between the two rival neighbors. Erdogan will be accompanied by 10 government ministers and a 150-strong business community. "This is seen as a first step to establish an ideal climate since the rapprochement process left off in 2004 ... We are going to take this step by step and see what we can do," a Greek foreign ministry official said. Several cooperation agreements are expected to be signed and both Erdogan and Greek Prime Minister George Papandreou are expected to preside over a joint cabinet meeting comprising ministers from each side, a first between the two traditional foes. Both Papandreou and Erdogan will chair the joint cabinet meeting with Greek and Turkish ministers on issues that will include foreign, transport, tourism, culture, education, energy and environment. Both Athens and Ankara have recently agreed to strengthen contact between their militaries to reduce the chances of conflict between the two countries. The two traditional foes, which have come close to war three times - have seen a gradual thaw in relations since twin earthquakes both in 1999, resulting in a mutual outpouring of support. Despite the thaw, the two nations have long-running territorial disputes in the Aegean, which nearly led to a military standoff in 1996 over an uninhabited island, as well as differences over the divided eastern Mediterranean island of Cyprus. Ankara has also complained that Athens neglects the rights of the Turkish minority living in northern Greece. Both leaders are expected to discuss Turkey's bid to join the European Union, which is supported by Athens but has faced obstacles with the continued presence of Turkish troops on the divided island of Cyprus. With debt-ridden Greece enforcing austerity measures, both countries have expressed the hope that further progress in bilateral ties will eventually lead to a reduction in defence spending. Greece spends more of its gross domestic product (GDP) on defence than any other European country, largely due to the long-standing tension with Turkey. Greece, faced with spiralling debt, forced it to become the first eurozone country to resort to the International Monetary Fund for aid. Ankara, with extensive experience of financial disasters and IMF bailout packages has said it is happy to share it expertise with Greece on its survival of a debt crisis a decade ago. The southern Mediterranean country received a giant bailout from the European Union and the IMF totalling 110 billion euros (138 million dollars) in return for harsh budget cuts and austerity measures that have set off a wave of protests. In a media interview in late March, Egemen Bagis, Turkey's top European Union negotiator, suggested defence cuts could help Greece get through its current economic crisis. "One of the reasons for the economic crisis in Greece is because of their attempt to compete with Turkey in terms of defence expenditures," Bagis said. "Greece does not need new tanks or missiles or submarines or fighter places, neither does Turkey. It's time to cut military expenditure throughout the world, but especially between Turkey and Greece," he added.
