It is almost a decade since Greece and Turkey unexpectedly grew closer. A new, more tolerant relationship was defined by a shared experience of disastrous earthquakes striking Istanbul and Athens within a space of three months in 1999.

There have been ups and downs since, but successive governments have been careful to avoid the hostile rhetoric of the past. From a low base, bilateral trade has tripled to €1.8bn ($2.7bn) in 2007, reflecting strong growth in both countries.