The upcoming visit to Athens by Turkish Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul formed part of the progress of Greek-Turkish relations, in which Athens would like to see constant improvement, government spokesman Theodoros Roussopoulos said on Wednesday.

He had been asked whether the timing of the visit, shortly after local government elections and the assessment of Turkey's accession course by the European Commission, sought to send out some form of message.

The spokesman also repeated that Athens supports Turkey's European orientation, provided Turkey fulfils its obligations, when asked whether the Commission might postpone issuing its report on Turkey's progress.

Regarding an apparent reduction in Turkish military activity above the Aegean over the summer, the spokesman noted that this development was possibly the result of talks between the two governments, based on an earlier agreement made when Karolos Papoulias was foreign minister.

"This is a positive sign and we hope that this will continue," he added.

Source: Athens News Agency

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