PM Erdogan sends goodwill letter to his Greek counterpart

Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan late last week sent a goodwill letter to his Greek counterpart George Papandreou, who also serves as foreign minister. In his letter, Erdogan said that the improvement of bilateral relations within the framework of mutual respect and understanding would have a positive impact on regional peace and stability. He said Ankara is ready to discuss all issues to improve relations with Greece in every area and also conveyed a number of proposals to create new bilateral cooperation opportunities. Erdogan said that Turkey places great importance on boosting its relations with Greece , and stressed that "zero problems with neighboring countries" is a Turkish foreign policy priority. In the letter, Erdogan also expressed hope that Ankara and the newly formed Greek government would step up their ongoing good relations and dialogue. Last month, Papandreou paid his first overseas visit to Turkey as Greece 's new premier, for an informal meeting of foreign ministers of the South-East European Countries Process (SEECP), showing his eagerness to improve bilateral ties with Turkey . In related news, State Minister and Chief negotiator for European Union talks Egemen Bagis is set to leave for Greece today to hold talks with top Greek officials, including Papandreou.