The Greek prime minister said on Friday that premiers of Turkey and Greece could make a radical change in relations between their countries, Anadolu Agency reported.
Speaking at the Third Meeting of Turkish Ambassadors in eastern province of Erzurum, Greek Prime Minister George Papandreou said Greece went through a rebirth process nowadays and it desired to see Turkey as a close partner during such period.
Pointing to his close cooperation with Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Papandreou said he believed Erdogan was also ready for a new relationship between Turkey and Greece that would be based on peace and cooperation.
Papandreou said the two countries might face certain difficulties during such process, however, they should establish their relations on mutual confidence.
The Greek prime minister noted that he believed in Turkish Premier Erdogan and described him as a valuable counterpart.
Commenting on the continental shelf issue between Turkey and Greece, Papandreou said failure to solve such problem caused great danger for both countries, adding talks on the matter, which had been initiated in 2002, had been intensified recently.
He said a solution that would be accepted by both parties was necessary.
Noting that tension poisoned Turkish-Greek relations, Papandreou said that Turkey, which did not want any problems with its neighbors, could do a lot to improve its ties with Greece.
The Greek prime minister also said that ties between Turkey and Greece could set an important example both for Europe and the rest of the world.
He said the two countries had seized a historic opportunity to solve their current problems.
Expressing his country's support for Turkey's EU bid, Papandreou said Turkey's EU process was delayed due to the internal developments in the country, several EU-member states' objections and the Cyprus issue.
Addressing Erdogan as a "dear friend", Papandreou also said Erdogan and himself had the capacity to change Turkish-Greek relations radically, adding he would always extend the necessary support to achieve such goal.