Tsipras Visiting Turkey for 1st Time

Southeast Europe | November 18, 2015, Wednesday // 11:22|  views

Turkey`s Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu (R) and his Greek counterpart Alexis Tsipras leave the stadium after attending the friendly soccer match between Turkey and Greece in Istanbul, Turkey, November 17, 2015. EPA/BGNES

Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras is on a working visit to Turkey for the first time since taking office in January.

The trip comes amid tensions between Ankara and Athens over the migrant crisis, with Aegean Sea waters dividing the two countries claiming the lives of dozens of migrants trying to cross into Europe.

Greece has maintained Turkey is involved in systematic attempts to ship migrants to Greek islands to relieve the migrant flow by redirecting people from its territory. Turkey says it has given shelter to more than 2 million migrants from Syria.

The migrant crisis is therefore expected to be the focus of Tsipras's meeting with Turkish PM Ahmet Davutoglu, alongside the developments in Syria. He spent his Tuesday evening in Istanbul, attending a friendly football game between Turkey and Greece along with his counterpart.

Greece's head of government is also set to meet Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in the capital Ankara.

English-language Kathimerini notes that the Greek PM "hopes to discover on Wednesday exactly what Turkey is hoping to get from the European Union in return for taking a more active role in stemming the flow of refugees".

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Tags: turkey, greece, Alexis Tsipras, Tsipras, Ahmet Davutoglu, Recep Tayipp Erdogan, migrant crisis

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