Turkish Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit accused Greece Thursday of evading dialogue with Turkey amid a chilly climate that has overshadowed the recent rapprochement between the two traditional rivals.
A decision by a Greek parliamentary commission Tuesday to put on hold the ratification of nine cooperation deals following a bilateral spat over sovereignty rights in the Aegean was "yet another example that Greece is timid in improving relations with Turkey," Ecevit told reporters here.
"It is obvious how reconciliatory and how much pro-dialogue Turkey is in its relations with Greece. But the recent developments show that Greece is trying to evade dialogue with Turkey," Ecevit added.
Biletaral tension rose on Sunday when Greece pulled out from NATO exercises in Turkey after a quarrel with Ankara over the utilization by Greek military jets of disputed air corridors over the Aegean Sea.
Also on Sunday, Greek Cypriot missile radar locked on two Turkish jets inside Cypriot airspace during a visit by Greek Defence Minister Akis Tsohatzopoulos to an airbase on the divided island.
Greek Foreign Minister George Papandreou has asked the Atlantic Treaty Association, a non-governmental group linked to NATO, to postpone a ceremony to award him and his Turkish counterpart Ismail Cem for their efforts in the Turco-Greek rapprochement, a Greek spokesman said Thursday.
The ceremony was scheduled to take place on October 31 in Budapest.
The Turkish foreign ministry declined to comment on the issue.
Cem and Papandreou were the architects of the rapprochement between Turkey and Greece, fueled by the unprecedented solidarity the two nations displayed after deadly quakes hit them in August and September last year.
Since then the two sides have signed nine bilateral cooperation accords on secondary issues, but remain severely at odds over territorial disputes in the Aegean and the island of Cyprus.
Relations between the rivals had appeared to have improved last year when they provided mutual help for victims of massive earthquakes in each country – ANKARA (AFP)
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