Greece, Turkey foreign ministers holds brief meeting amid tensions in Mediterranean

On Wednesday, October 7 the foreign ministers of Greece and Turkey met while attending a conference in Slovakia and reached an agreement to set up a date for a new round of negotiations between the two countries. The two NATO allies have been locked in conflict over the maritime boundaries in the eastern Mediterranean as warships from both sides stand guard. 

Greece-Turkey FM meet

As per reports, the brief meeting on the sidelines of the Globsec Forum in Bratislava between Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias and his Turkish counterpart Mevlut Cavusloglu appeared to be cordial.

Cavusloglu said, "We agreed that the exploratory and confidence-building talks should take place in the period ahead of us". “I told him that it is beneficial to continue a dialogue even under the most difficult conditions, and today, we reached an agreement on continuing (a dialogue)", he added. 

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A Greek diplomatic is reported to have said that both countries agreed to set a date for the exploratory talks. He added that it will be the 61st round of long-running peace talks between Greece and Turkey to ease tensions and improve bilateral relations. 

Meanwhile, the European Union on Friday, October 2 warned Turkey against sanctions amid an escalation in tensions with Greece over energy resources and maritime borders. According to the international media reports, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has urged Ankara to maintain peace and regional stability and "abstain from unilateral actions" in the eastern Mediterranean region. 

Tensions between Greece and Turkey escalated after Ankara sent research vessels to look for resources in the eastern region of the Mediterranean Sea. The research boats were accompanied by warships, which upset the Greek side, who immediately asked Turkey to withdraw the vessels. Greece, in turn, then sent its own warships to the region stoking fear of conflict among regional partners. The European Union had warned Ankara of possible sanctions for its actions in the eastern Mediterranean.  

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Image/Inputs: AP