Erzurum's new stadium will host the XXV Winter Universiade, or Winter World University Games, where athletic teams from universities in 75 countries will compete in 2011.
In a brief address, the Greek premier conveyed a message of peace and friendship from the Greek people and said that the two sides, while respecting their history, "have decided to overcome the prejudices of the past".
"We have taken bold initiatives to break the barriers of prejudice that divide our two peoples," he stressed.
The crowd was also addressed by Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who thanked all the Turkish ministers that had contributed to building the new stadium and Papandreou.
Afterwards, Papandreou will address the third annual Turkish ambassadors' conference, entitled "Visionary Diplomacy: Global and Regional Order from Turkey's Perspective". The meeting, which will also be addressed by Erdogan, is chaired by Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu and attended by 180 Turkish diplomats serving abroad and at the country's foreign ministry. The week-long session opened in Ankara on Monday and will continue in Erzurum.
Earlier on Friday, Papandreou and Erdogan held talks on bilateral issues over a working breakfast.
(ANA-MPA), A. Kourkoulas
