AFP,
ATHENS:Turkish Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul said late on Monday he agreed with a proposal by his Greek opposite number for their two countries to carry out a gradual and balanced reduction in their military budgets.
The Greek offer, made by Foreign Minister Georges Papandreou on Saturday, was “a good proposal, which we agree with”, Gul said in an interview on Greece's Mega TV channel.
Greece and Turkey, which share both sea and land borders, are long-standing rivals. Territorial disputes frequently cause military incidents, notably over the Aegean Sea.
Papandreou suggested that any agreement could come into effect immediately after Greece's forthcoming parliamentary election, which takes place on March
“This proposal shows good intentions. We have the same,” said Gul, according to the Greek translation of his comments on television.
“We want to be a force for peace and stability and to have good neighbourly relations with Greece,” he added.
