Athens, Ankara should agree to handle their differences better - envoy

Athens and Ankara should agree to handle their differences better, said the Turkish envoy to Greece on Friday.

Speaking to reporters in Athens during a reception held ahead of the 99th anniversary of the Republic of Türkiye's proclamation on Oct. 29, Burak Özügergin said: "I can guarantee you that we will never run out of differences or disagreements between the two sides of the Aegean. But it seems to me that we should agree to handle our differences better."

"We must constantly repeat to ourselves that not every disagreement should create enemies," he added.

Referring to recent public opinion polls, which showed that the people of Greece and Türkiye do not harbor hostile feelings toward each other, Özügergin said: "I guess that's a good start! It just goes to show that you really shouldn't believe what you read in the papers."

The reception held in the embassy's garden in central Athens was attended by a distinguished crowd, including Greek Deputy Foreign Minister Kostas Fragogiannis, main opposition SYRIZA party's deputy Kostas Zachariadis, diplomats and academics.

Having completed his four-year tenure in the Greece, Özügergin will soon be succeeded by another career diplomat Çağatay Erciyes.