NATO Secretary General discusses situation in Eastern Mediterranean with President Erdogan
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg spoke by telephone with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on Wednesday (23 September 2020) about the situation in the Eastern Mediterranean.
The Secretary General reiterated the importance of dialogue and de-escalation, and stressed that the situation must be resolved in a spirit of Allied solidarity and in accordance with international law.
Military delegations from Turkey and Greece have met six times at NATO Headquarters in Brussels as part of an Alliance-led initiative to establish de-confliction mechanisms to prevent incidents and accidents at sea or in the air.
The Secretary General noted that progress has been made in the talks, stressing that developing de-confliction mechanisms between militaries is a natural role for NATO.
Mr. Stoltenberg also welcomed yesterday’s announcement that Turkey and Greece will hold exploratory diplomatic talks.
As part of his regular consultations with the leaders from Turkey and Greece, the Secretary General is scheduled to speak to Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis on Thursday (24 September 2020).
