Turkey and Greece have agreed on ways to prevent incidents between military vessels and aircraft due to disputes over oil exploration in the Mediterranean. This was announced by NATO Chief Jens Stoltenberg. Part of the agreement is the establishment of a direct line, which should ease tensions and ensure that accidental clashes at sea do not escalate into open conflict.
“I welcome the establishment of a mechanism to prevent military clashes, which has been achieved through the constructive involvement of Turkey and Greece,” Stoltenberg said. According to him, the agreement of both parties will help create space for a diplomatic settlement of the dispute over oil and gas exploration in the Eastern Mediterranean, which escalated again between the two member countries of the alliance in August.
In the summer, Ankara sent a reconnaissance ship accompanied by military vessels to the area between Crete and Cyprus. According to Athens, it is part of the Greek territorial waters, but Turkey claims that it has the right to explore. Greece and Turkey later held naval exercises in the disputed area. France, along with Italy and Cyprus, joined Greece during the maneuvers.
The Greco-Turkish mining dispute is also one of the main topics of the EU summit launched today. Cyprus, Greece and France are proposing that the Union sanction Turkey.
NATO-sponsored talks began last month, with Greece initially refusing to admit it at all, the Associated Press reported. The alliance negotiations are taking place independently of the diplomatic efforts of a part of the EU states led by Germany, which wants to reach an agreement between the warring countries on the core of the dispute concerning territorial claims.
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