Rasmussen is due to discuss the issue with Greek Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis during a meeting today (28 August), after having met with Turkish authorities yesterday.
He said his message to both governments was to improve their relations, as bilateral tensions between the two countries are preventing the alliance from concluding an agreement aimed at improving troop security in Afghanistan and in operations off the Somali coast.
Greece has recently complained about Turkish army jets flying over its territory in violation of international agreements, fuelling tensions between the two rival neighbours, which have been divided over the Cyprus issue for decades (see 'Background').
"I […] hope that during my term, we will see an improvement in relations between two very important allies: Turkey and Greece. While these are bilateral issues, the effects of these tensions are felt far beyond, NATO-EU relations being the most obvious," Rasmussen stated before leaving Brussels.
In a blog hosted on the NATO website, Rasmussen admits that Greece and Turkey's conflicts are of a bilateral nature, but he adds that a point has been reached whereby these conflicts are harming the alliance's operations.
According to Rasmussen, NATO is currently unable to conclude an agreement to assist EU police in Afghanistan due to the ongoing Greece-Turkey strife. Meanwhile, in the Horn of Africa, NATO and the EU are conducting naval operations, but have been unable to reach agreement on how they could assist each other.
In Turkey, Rasmussen attended an iftar (fast-breaking dinner) with Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan. The host used the opportunity to urge Rasmussen, who previously drew harsh criticism following the publication of cartoons seen as insulting the Prophet Muhammad in his country Denmark, to engage in institutional relations with Muslim countries for better dialogue with the Muslim world.
The Greek press reports that a dispute over the name of the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia is also on the menu of the talks in Athens. Macedonia's NATO accession was recently blocked by Athens over the conflict (EurActiv 03/04/09).
The Greek prime minister indicated that he would use the opportunity to call on the alliance to improve its relations with Russia, the Greek and Russian press reported.
