MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 21st February, 2023) Greece and Turkey must resolve their differences diplomatically and peacefully, and the United States will do everything possible to facilitate this process, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Tuesday.
"Greece and Turkey are partners, are allies, are friends. And we continue to engage with them, to work together, including through NATO, to maintain peace and security in the region, to resolve any differences diplomatically, and of course to avoid any threats or provocative rhetoric... it's important that our friends, partners, and allies manage their differences diplomatically, peacefully. And we'll support those efforts in any way we can," Blinken said at a press conference with Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias.
Blinken also noted that the elimination of differences between Turkey and Greece would open up great opportunities for both countries.
In turn, Dendias said that Greece was ready to contribute to improving relations with Turkey.
Turkey and Greece have been at odds for decades, with the risk of an armed conflict arising several times since 2020. The disputed issues include competing territorial claims in the Eastern Mediterranean, in particular in the region of the Aegean Sea, the Greek-Turkish divide in Cyprus, and the delimitation of maritime borders. Turkey has repeatedly accused Greece of deploying weapons on the Aegean islands in violation of the 1923 Treaty of Lausanne.
