Vol. 487 No. 5
57 Mr. O'Shea asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs the progress, if any, which has been achieved to date by the Turkish Greek Wiseman Group proposed by the Luxembourg Presidency of the EU on 29 April 1997; and the proposals, if any, to expedite the work of the group. [4330/98]
This initiative was taken by the Netherlands Presidency in April 1997. It proposed that both Greece and Turkey appoint experts to a joint committee which would examine ways in which both parties might seek a rapprochement on issues of bilateral dispute, particularly in relation to the Aegean area.
Whilst it did not prove possible to have the agreement of both parties to formal meetings of such a joint group, views have been exchanged between Greek and Turkish experts through the offices of the Presidency of the European Union and this process of informal contacts between the two parties continues.
The framework for further bilateral dialogue between Greece and Turkey on problems in their bilateral relations was improved by the adoption by them of a joint communique in July 1997 at the Madrid NATO Summit. This communique committed both parties to a peaceful resolution of issues of bilateral dispute. Following this, at the Balkan Summit in Crete in November 1997, the Prime Ministers of Greece and Turkey met to discuss relations between the two countries.
Ireland, along with other EU partners, will continue to encourage the bilateral dialogue between the two parties, both in the "Wisemen" process and other fora, aimed at reducing tensions and finding ways to resolve issues of contention in their relations.
