In December 2023, Turkish citizens were approved visa-free to visit the Greek islands. A visa will not be required if a tourist stays on the islands for no more than seven days. The list includes 10 islands: Lemnos, Lesbos, Chios, Samos, Leros, Kalymnos, Kos, Rhodes, Symi and Kastelorisyu. Such a decision was made by the EU commission.
According to the Turkish Foreign Ministry, the agreements were reached at the highest level. On December 7, Turkish President Recep Erdogan and Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis held talks in Athens. The meeting discussed the issue of canceling visas for Turkish students when visiting Greece.
The December 2023 agreement also talked about increasing trade turnover between the countries to $10 billion a year. In addition, the sides outlined the construction of a second bridge at the Ipsala-Kipi border crossing.
