Athens and Istanbul will follow up on mutual earthquake aid by signing a wide-ranging co-operation accord in coming months, their two mayors announced yesterday at a joint press conference in the Greek capital.
The two cities will work together in the areas of culture, sports, tourism and economics, and share technical expertise on the care and preservation of historic monuments.
These include Greek works in Istanbul and Turkish ones in Athens, said the Mayor of Athens, Mr Dimitris Avramopoulos.
The Mayor of Istanbul, Mr Ali Mufit Gurtuna, who began his visit to Athens on Sunday, has been given the red-carpet treatment by his Greek hosts, with a brass band and gifts included in his reception at the city hall.
In an unprecedented gesture, the Greeks also flew Turkey's flag over the city hall.
The two city leaders are considering installing monuments in each city to the victims of recent earthquakes they both suffered. Relations between the two countries have taken a turn for the better since the earthquake devastated north-west Turkey on August 17th.
Mr Avramopoulos personally boosted relations between the cities when he was among the first to visit Istanbul immediately after the earthquake.
Three weeks later, Mr Gurtuna went to areas north of Athens in a visit of "friendship, solidarity, and sympathy" after a Greek tremor killed 138 people on September 7th.
Greece and Turkey have long been at odds on issues ranging from disputes over air space and territorial waters to the sovereignty of Aegean Sea islands and the divided Mediterranean island of Cyprus.