Greece-Turkey dialogue kept alive

Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said on Wednesday he discussed with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan “all the issues" that have recently increased tensions between the two countries during a meeting on the sidelines of NATO’s 70th birthday gathering in London.

According to information, Mitsotakis told Erdogan that the Turkey-Libya deal they signed last week to delimitate maritime borders is legally void and complicates relations in a sensitive region.

“I presented all the issues arising from the latest Turkish actions. The disagreements from both sides were noted. The two sides, however, agreed to continue discussions on the confidence-building measures of the ministry of defense,” Mitsotakis told journalists after the meeting.

He also said he has instructed Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias to convene Greece's cross-party foreign policy council to inform political leaders of the opposition.

“I want to assure the Greek people that there have been, are and will continue to have difficulties in our relations with Turkey. But I think that, as long as both sides show good will, these can eventually be overcome,” he added.

The two sides also discusses migration, with the Greek premier noting that Turkey appears to have shifted its position, as its coast guard does not respond to Greek requests to collect migrants and refugees from the sea.

Mitsotakis, however, reiterated Greece's support for the 2016 EU-Turkey statement which curbed migrant arrivals to the Greek islands.