‘Useful’ talks in Ankara
Greek opposition leader Costas Karamanlis and Turkey’s ruling party leader, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, discussed Cyprus and Greek-Turkish issues in Ankara yesterday. The New Democracy party leader was in Turkey as the guest of Ecumenical Patriarch Vartholomaios to attend Epiphany celebrations. Karamanlis and Erdogan had met in Athens in November. «I believe these visits will yield positive results in a period that Cyprus has become a significant issue due to the Feb. 28 process,» Erdogan said, referring to the UN and EU deadline for a solution, Anatolia news agency reported. Erdogan said he was pleased by Greece’s backing for closer Turkish ties with the EU. Karamanlis said the meeting was «useful» and that all should contribute to a «viable and functional solution» for Cyprus.