Turkish president, Greek PM vow to boost co-op 'despite disagreements'

ISTANBUL - Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis pledged on Sunday to boost mutual cooperation "despite their disagreements."

Erdogan and Mitsotakis met over lunch in Istanbul behind closed doors, Turkey's presidential office said in a statement, adding the main agenda of the two leaders was bilateral and international relations, including the Russia-Ukraine conflict.

Erdogan and Mitsotakis agreed to keep communication channels open and improve bilateral relations despite some disagreements between the two countries, said the statement.

The Turkish leader told the Greek prime minister that he maintains his belief in taking relations to a high level and making progress in issues that strained their relations.

The relations between the two NATO allies have long been at odds over a series of issues, including maritime and energy issues in the Aegean Sea and the Mediterranean Sea.

Meanwhile, addressing the Greek community at the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Istanbul earlier in the day, Mitsotakis called for an immediate ceasefire on all fronts in Ukraine so that new opportunities for dialogue, reconciliation, and peace might be present.