Turkey and Greece Talk Peace

The Turkish foreign minister, Abdullah Gul, said yesterday that Turkey and Greece were resolved to solve their problems "peacefully and with understanding".

The comments, made during Mr Gul's first official trip to Greece, were made despite the sudden increase in violations of Greek airspace by Turkish military aircraft this year.

Mr Gul said he hoped that the Aegean could be "transformed into a sea of peace, cooperation and development".

The infringements have been blamed for a spate of mock dogfights between Greek and Turkish fighter jets, often in view of tourists.

Tensions between the neighbours had risen dangerously, four years after earthquakes in both countries led to a warming of relations.

The Greek foreign minister, George Papandreou, said it was his hope that reconciliation on "low-intensity issues" during Mr Gul's two-day visit could help solve some of the thornier problems that have brought the two to the brink of war three times since 1974.

Athens and Ankara are still divided over Cyprus and disputed boundaries in the Aegean Sea. Greece has said it will help Turkey move towards EU entry negotiations in return for help solving the Cyprus problem.