Charles Michel, President of the European Council, has called Turkish President Erdogan. The content of the conversation has not been officially announced, but according to Turkish and Greek media, they have discussed tensions in the Mediterranean.
Greece and Turkey are at odds with each other over an area in the east of the Mediterranean. Turkey recently searched for natural gas near a Greek island, after which Greece and Cyprus held several military exercises, supported by France, Italy and the United States.
According to Turkish media Erdogan has instructed his Brussels colleague to be objective. He has demanded that the European Union prevent Greece from increasing tensions in the Mediterranean, writes CNN Turk.
According to the Greek news site Ekathimerini Michel emphasized that all EU Member States are behind Greece and Cyprus. The EU leader is said to have called for Erdogan to de-escalate the conflict.
New military exercise
Just today the Turkish army started an exercise in the waters off Cyprus. Turkish Vice President Oktay late on Twitter know that the exercise is intended to improve cooperation with Turkish forces in Northern Cyprus, a self-proclaimed republic recognized only by Turkey.
Last Thursday, NATO chief Stoltenberg said Greece and Turkey, both members of the military alliance, are ready to sit down together. A day later, Greek Prime Minister Mitsotakis said that this will only happen when Turkey stops “provoking”. Turkish Foreign Minister Cavusoglu called on Greece to start de-escalating.
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