ATHENS (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 26th June, 2020) Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis held a phone call with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Friday, which was their first contact after bilateral tensions took another turn in light of Ankara's planned exploration in areas considered by Athens to be a part of its continental shelf.
"The leaders discussed the consequences of the coronavirus pandemic and efforts to tackle them, as well as issues related to the opening of borders and the restart of tourist flows," the prime minister's office said in a press release, obtained by Sputnik.
The two also agreed to "keep bilateral communication channels open," the office added.
In late May, Turkey's government newspaper published Turkish Petroleum Corporation's applications for drilling off Greek islands based on a controversial deal on maritime boundaries with Libya's Tripoli-based government
Greece strongly condemned it as another attempt to usurp its sovereign rights. The country deems the Ankara-Tripoli deal illegal, rallying support for this position among the international community.
Amid the escalation, Greek Defense Minister Nikolaos Panagiotopoulos even said that his country was ready for a military response to Turkey, if necessary.
Another aspect of bilateral tensions is migration issue and Turkey's regular threats to open the "gates" to Europe for refugees.
