Trump talks to Greek PM, urges dialogue with Turkey to resolve maritime dispute

US President Donald Trump held a telephonic conversation with Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis on August 25 and expressed concern over the rising tensions between Greek and Turkey. White House said that the US President urged NATO allies to commit to dialogue to resolve the ongoing maritime dispute over the Eastern Mediterranean.

The tensions are running high between Greece and Turkey over exploration operations in the disputed waters of the eastern Mediterranean. Both countries have been sending warships in the disputed zone to shadow their drilling vessels and the European Union has been following the situation closely.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan asserted that he would make “no concessions” in the eastern Mediterranean and is determined to do whatever necessary to claim its rights. Speaking at an event to commemorate the 11th-century military victory by Seljuk Turks over the Byzantine empire at Malazgirt, Erdogan urged Greece to avoid mistakes that “will be the path to ruin.”

"We don't have our eye on someone else's territory, sovereignty and interests, but we will make no concessions on that which is ours," Erdogan said.

Read: Turkey's Erdogan Warns Greece Against Taking Path To 'ruin' In Mediterranean

Read: German FM Visits Greece, Turkey To Initiate Direct Discussion As Regional Tension Mounts

Call for sanction

Earlier this month, US Senators urged State Secretary Mike Pompeo and the European Union to impose sanctions on key sectors of the Turkish economy for its “illegal” drilling operations in the Eastern Mediterranean. Bob Menendez, a ranking member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, and Democratic Senator Chris Van Hollen wrote to Pompeo ahead of his meeting with the Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias, calling for new sanctions on Turkey.

Citing Ankara’s recent deployment of naval vessels to accompany a drilling ship into Greece’s exclusive economic zone, the lawmakers also called on the Trump administration to urge Turkey to remove its ships from international waters. Pompeo had earlier asserted that the US will not allow unlawful drilling and warned Turkey of “diplomatic initiatives”.

“In accordance with your prior statements, we ask you to call on Turkey to remove its ships from Greece’s EEZ and to resolve this matter in accordance with international law,” the letter read.

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Read: Turkey's Ambition To Become Maritime Powerhouse Intensifies Tensions In Mediterranean