Ismail Cem, 67, Turkish Minister
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Ismail Cem, a former Turkish foreign minister, who was a driving force behind the thawing relations between the two archrivals, died yesterday in Istanbul. He was 67.
His greatest achievement while serving as foreign minister between 1997 and 2003 was forging close ties with Greece, largely due to his personal friendship with Greece’s former Foreign Minister George Papandreou.
The rapprochement culminated in a series of cooperation deals including in culture, economy and crime and pledges to work toward tackling the more difficult territorial disputes in the Aegean.
The thaw had followed a mutual outpouring of aid and sympathy in the wake of deadly earthquakes that struck both countries in 1999.
