World
Leaders of Turkey, Greece hold talks in rare meeting
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Greece’s prime minister met with Turkey’s president over lunch in Istanbul Sunday in a uncommon assembly between neighbors who’ve been at odds over maritime and power points, the standing of Aegean islands and migration.
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Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan had been anticipated to debate bilateral and worldwide relations in addition to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the Turkish presidency’s communications directorate mentioned.
On this picture supplied by the Turkish presidency, Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, left, talks to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan throughout their assembly in Istanbul, Turkey, Sunday, March 13, 2022.
(Turkish presidency through AP)
Greece and Turkey are nominal NATO allies however have strained relations over competing maritime boundary claims that have an effect on power exploration rights within the jap Mediterranean. Tensions flared in the summertime of 2020 over exploratory drilling rights in areas within the Mediterranean the place Greece and Cyprus declare their very own unique financial zone, resulting in a naval standoff. Turkey additionally claims Greece is violating worldwide agreements by militarizing islands within the Aegean Sea.
Since then, Greece has launched into a serious army modernization program. Officers from each nations resumed exploratory talks in 2021 after a five-year pause to put the groundwork for formal negotiations to start however haven’t made a lot progress.
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Greece has additionally accused Turkey of permitting migrants to cross its land and sea borders regardless of a take care of the European Union to forestall unlawful crossings, whereas Turkey and rights teams have documented Greek authorities’ apply of migrant “pushbacks” to Turkey.
Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, heart, attends a ceremony for Orthodox Christians on the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople, in Istanbul, Turkey, Sunday, March 13, 2022.
(AP Photograph/Emrah Gurel)
However the two nations additionally cooperate on power tasks, together with a newly constructed pipeline that spans their nations transporting pure gasoline from Azerbaijan to Western Europe, a undertaking that’s a part of Europe’s effort to cut back dependence on Russian power exports.
Mitsotakis kicked off his go to by attending a service for Orthodox Christians on the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople.