Left-wing organizations from Greece and Turkey made a joint statement on the occasion of the meeting between Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and Greek Prime Minister George Papandreou.

The Synaspismos Party of Greece (Coalition of the Left of Movements and Ecology) and the Turkish Freedom and Solidarity Party (ÖDP) called both countries in a joint statement to reduce expenditures related to the defence budgets and reallocate sources to the economy, the society and the ecological development.

Both parties pointed out that a cut of the defence budget would be a gain for democracy and the culture of peace in both countries overshadowed by an economic crises and a coup by militarist forces. ÖDP and the Synaspismos Party emphasized that the expenditure for the army served the NATO and plans of war.

The two political parties drew attention to the fact that the expenditure's share of the gross domestic product of both countries ranges above the average of European countries and NATO members. "Peace is the only option for the Turkish and the Greek people. The problems of the Turkish-Greek relations should be solved within the framework of peace, dialogue and international law", ÖDP and Synaspismos said.

For the Cyprus issue, both parties supported a solution in accordance with the decisions of the United Nations, a federation of two peoples in two independent regions clear of military bases.

"Military bases should be dispensed"

Another joint statement was made by the Greek Revolutionary Workers' Party (EEK) and the Turkish Revolutionary Workers Party Initiative (DİP). Both labour parties indicated that Papandreou and Erdoğan were on the same fore against the labourers and that the working classes of both countries should move in a joint action.

EEK and DİP demanded to dispense military bases in Turkey and Greece. Related to Cyprus, the parties called for establishing a united, independent and socialist Republic of Cyprus where both peoples have equal rights.

Turkey and Greece good customers of arms dealers

According to data compiled by the Stockholm Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) regarding the import of arms between 2005 and 2009, Turkey spent a total of $ 3.264 million, Greece $ 4.615 million on weapons. On a global scale, Greece is the third largest purchaser of arms, Turkey ranks on place 10. The majority of weapons bought during the past five years was purchased from Germany.

Labour organizations of Turkey and Greece agreed in the beginning of April on joining their efforts to allocate larger financial sources of both countries to measures aimed at increasing employment instead of armament. (TK/VK)