Nicosia – Reuters
Greek Prime Minister Griagos Mitsotakis on Friday said it was important to keep communication channels open with Turkey, despite his sharp statements that could escalate tensions between the two neighbors.
The two NATO members differ in many respects, from maritime borders and airspace, to energy sources in the Mediterranean and ethnically divided Cyprus.
Tensions have recently resurfaced, with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan saying Greece must stop arming the islands in the Aegean Sea, which are to be militarized under international agreements, and rejecting Greece’s claim that Turkey is baseless.
Speaking in Cyprus, Mitsotakis said international law is on the Greek side.
During a meeting with the President of Cyprus Nicos Anastasios in Nicosia, he added: “We will set aside any rhetoric that deviates from the rules of formal diplomacy. I think this is the right approach. These channels should never be closed.
The Turkish Defense Ministry said on the sidelines of a NATO meeting in Brussels on Thursday that Turkish and Greek defense ministers had met and discussed continuing talks to defuse rising tensions recently.
Mitsotakis had gone to attend the DRC conference on the island of Cyprus.