ATHENS (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 10th March, 2023) The Greek and Turkish defense ministers on Thursday agreed on the need to maintain channels of bilateral communication and improve relations between the two countries in their first telephone call in a while, the Greek Defense Ministry said.
"The importance of maintaining contacts and holding meetings between the parties was stressed in order to establish stability and cooperation based on the international law and rules of good neighborliness," the statement read.
During the phone call, the Greek defense chief also expressed his condolences to Turkey on the death of thousands of people in the recent devastating earthquakes and said that Athens was ready to provide Ankara with all necessary support in overcoming the consequences of the disaster.
The Turkish defense minister, in turn, expressed his condolences to the Greek counterpart in connection with the numerous human casualties as a result of the tragic railway accident in Greece, the statement added.
NATO allies Greece and Turkey have been at odds for decades, with the risk of an armed conflict arising several times. 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 boundaries. Turkey has repeatedly accused Greece of deploying weapons on the Aegean Islands in violation of the 1923 Treaty of Lausanne.
