NICOSIA (Reuters) – Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis pleaded on Friday for a constant dialogue with Turkey following a flare-up of tension between the two countries, whose relations have long been contentious, particularly in the Aegean Sea. .
There is no shortage of disputes between the two countries, partners within NATO: on the maritime and air borders, the status of the islands of the Aegean Sea, the drilling attempts in the eastern Mediterranean, or even the Cypriot issue.
The verbal clashes reached a plateau in early June when President Recep Tayyip Erdogan accused the Greek authorities of not being “honest” and of arming the Aegean islands in violation of bilateral treaties. Greece denies these accusations.
International law is on our side, pleaded Friday Kyriakos Mitsotakis in Nicosia, on the sidelines of an interview with Cypriot President Nicos Anastasiades.
“We will rule out any rhetoric that deviates from good diplomatic practice,” he said.
“I think this approach is the right one and that we will quickly return to calm water, while keeping the communication channels open. I have always considered that they should never close, even in the most difficult times” , he pointed out.
The Turkish president spoke out for the suspension of bilateral meetings after the head of the Greek government criticized Turkey in veiled words during an intervention before the American Congress in May. This speech was interpreted by Ankara as a veiled invitation to the American authorities to block sales of F-16 fighters to Turkey.
“We said that we will not meet them again until we have an honest politician in front of us,” Recep Tayyip Erdogan repeated on Friday to journalists in Istanbul.
“My answer couldn’t be clearer. Let Greece manage on its own,” he added.
(Report Michele Kambas in Nicosia and Daren Butler in Istanbul, French version Sophie Louet)
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