Greece and Turkey have agreed to sit down for talks to avoid accidental clashes in the Eastern Mediterranean, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said on Thursday.
Following my discussions with Greek & Turkish leaders, the two Allies have agreed to enter into technical talks at #NATO to establish deconfliction mechanisms and reduce the risk of incidents & accidents in the #EastMed. https://t.co/Kc70MlNPzY
— Jens Stoltenberg (@jensstoltenberg) September 3, 2020
Earlier in the day, Turkish Defence Minister Hulusi Akar slammed French interference in the Turkish-Greek dispute in the Mediterranean, saying that Paris was acting like ‘Mafiosi’. He also said that Ankara won't stand anyone coming "from thousands of kilometers away" and trying "to bully, claim rights and play the role of a guardian angel.”
Turkey and Greece have been in conflict over exclusive rights for exploration in the Eastern Mediterranean. Last month, Greece signed a maritime agreement with Egypt to designate large areas of the Mediterranean as exclusive economic zones. On learning about this, Turkey sent its Oruc Reis surveying vessel to an area claimed by Greece and started searching for gas there.
