A special fast-track visa for Turkish tourists visiting 10 islands in Greece was seen as “very successful,” garnering the interest of over 110,000 people last year, according to Consul General of Greece to Istanbul Ambassador Konstantinos Koutras in a recent interview with Daily Sabah.
The agreement for automatic visas allowing Turks and their families to visit certain Greek islands without having to apply for full access to the European Union’s passport-free travel zone was signed in December 2023, when Greece and Türkiye agreed to turn a page after years of tensions and drafted a road map to usher in a new era of closer ties.
Earlier this week it was confirmed the visa will be extended by another year, to April 2026, and will include another two islands, Patmos and Samothrace, bringing the total number to 12.
Speaking to Daily Sabah, Koutras touched upon the topic and the developments in diplomatic, cultural and business ties with Türkiye.
He explained it is a facilitation program that requires approval from the European Commission and other member states, describing it as a “very successful” initiative.
“So for us, it was very important to have it approved and we have applied again to reimplement it also this year cause the results were almost 100% positive,” he said in an exclusive interview recently, mentioning incidents were very rare.
“The program started at the beginning of April, and by November it had more than 110,000 people, in addition to the people who were traveling with their visas … People in Türkiye have received it very positively,” he added.
Evaluating the exchange of visits, tourist flows and in general the momentum in ties, the consul general maintained that the “framework is going quite well,” underscoring this is “the reason why we’re trying to promote people-to-people contacts.”
“Last year, we had more than 1.3 million Turks visiting Greece and more than 600,000 Greeks visiting Turkey,” Koutras said, explaining however, that in his view, when looking at the population size of both countries, the number of Greeks visiting Türkiye appears to be higher.
He went on to mention cultural events and education-related congresses being organized, while also assessing economic relations.
Answering a question of how the business community sees the recent rapprochement in relations between Athens and Ankara, the consul general referred to the established contacts and an event being planned for later this year, while emphasizing it is a “developing process.”
Business, future cooperation
“We organized the meeting with the participation of more than 100 Turkish companies that would like to invest, to explore investing in Greece. It was a very successful meeting, and we have a very good, positive follow-up,” he noted.
“Second, on May 9, (there) would also be a B2B forum taking place here in Istanbul, with the participation of some Greek companies under the guidance of the deputy minister of foreign affairs. Now we are trying to identify the specific sectors of the economies that have the interest to find the right partners, from both sides, so that we have value added to this effort,” he elaborated.
Koutras further said there were already many Turkish companies investing in Greece, not only in real estate but also in other businesses.
Moreover, related to the question on the potential for future cooperation and particular sectors, he said these could include renewable sources of energy or startup companies, mentioning there are many fields.
“The startup environment, it is something very important. I think there is good space for cooperation between the two countries, between the young people,” he said, citing the significance of bringing young people together.
“There are many fields, renewable, solar, wind, technology and IT,” he added.
Culture, cultural diplomacy
With culture also being another domain of relations, the consulate itself, situated at the bustling Istiklal Street, is actively engaged in the art scene.
This week, in its Sismanoglio Megaro building, it hosted an event for the opening of the exhibition titled “Hellenic Heads: A Personal Exploration of Greek History and Culture Over 2,500 Years.”
The sculpture exhibition of the artist George Petrides features six oversized busts, chronologically depicting different periods of Greek history, from “Classical Greece” to “The Present.” The opening was held as part of the consulate’s activities to mark Greek National Day.
Born in Athens, Petrides lives and works there and in New York – showing interest in sculpture from childhood – while also being inspired by Renaissance sculptors such as Donatello.
The “Hellenic Heads” exhibition was previously showcased in four venues in the U.S., and also in Venice, before coming to Istanbul.
It will be open until April 17 for visits at Sismanoglio Megaro.
