Officials on the Greek island of Rhodes have opened a new vacation visa terminal for Turkish visitors in an effort to ease tensions between the two countries. The visa will allow Turks to visit 10 Greek islands for up to a week without having to apply for full access to the EU’s passport-free travel zone. The initiative comes amid efforts to focus on trade and cooperation, rather than longstanding disputes over sea boundaries and mineral rights in the Aegean Sea.
Last year, NATO members Greece and Turkey launched initiatives to improve relations, with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan visiting Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis to sign bilateral cooperation agreements. The new express visa is designed to boost tourism in areas and times of the year with lower traffic, helping local economies. The visa, which can be issued year-round at participating Greek ports, costs 60 euros and includes a passport check and fingerprint recording. Visitors are not allowed to travel onto other EU member states.
The islands in the vacation visa program, which include Lesbos, Limnos, Chios, Samos, Leros, Kalymnos, Kos, Symi, and Kastellorizo, are all near the Turkish coastline. Additional smaller islands are set to join the program in June. This move comes in response to Turkey’s desire for relaxed travel rules for its citizens visiting the EU, as the country seeks to bolster tourism. Greece, a popular tourist destination, welcomed 32.7 million visitors last year, bringing in 20.5 billion euros in revenue.
Greek officials noted that there is significant demand from Turkish visitors for the new visa system, but there were no boats scheduled to arrive on the first day of its implementation. Vassilis Vayiannakis, head of the Rhodes Port Fund, stated that there would be arrivals later in the week. The cooperation between Greece and Turkey in launching this visa program is a step towards fostering closer ties between the two countries and improving economic opportunities for both.
Greek Prime Minister Mitsotakis emphasized the potential benefits of the visa program, highlighting the boost it could provide to local economies through increased tourism. The new system represents a significant diplomatic effort to enhance cooperation and economic opportunities between Greece and Turkey. With Mitsotakis planning to visit Turkey next month, continued dialogue and collaboration between the two nations are crucial in order to address long-standing issues and build a foundation for future growth and stability in the region.
