Defense Minister Akar invites Greek delegation to Turkey for talks

Minister of National Defense Hulusi Akar invited Greek officials to Turkey during his meeting with his Greek counterpart Nikolaos Panagiotopoulos, security sources said late Thursday.

According to a report by Anadolu Agency, Akar reiterated that Turkey is expecting to host a Greek delegation in capital Ankara to discuss confidence-building measures to thaw tensions between the two Aegean neighbors.

Akar was in Brussels to attend the NATO Ministers of Defense meeting, where he also had talks with his U.S. counterpart Lloyd Austin, U.K. counterpart Ben Wallace and other foreign officials.

Tensions are once again rising between Turkey and Greece and the Greek Cypriot administration over maritime borders and drilling rights in the Eastern Mediterranean after several months of relative calm.

Last week, Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias also said that “Greece is facing a casus belli” – the threat of war if it exercises its sovereign rights in the Eastern Mediterranean.

The Turkish Foreign Ministry described recent Greek explorations as “provocative activities” that endangered peace and stability in the Eastern Mediterranean. Ankara announced that it would take all “necessary steps on the ground” to stop this.

“The main cause of the tension in the Eastern Mediterranean in recent years has been Greece’s and the Greek Cypriot administration’s maximalist maritime jurisdiction area claims and unilateral acts that ignore Turkey’s and the TRNC’s (Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus) rights and interests,” read the statement.

Turkey has sent drillships with a military escort to explore for energy on its continental shelf, stressing that it and the TRNC have rights in the region. To reduce tensions, Turkey has called for dialogue to ensure the fair sharing of the region’s resources.

DailySabah