The United States urges a diplomatic and peaceful resolution in the eastern Mediterranean



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The top US diplomat praises German efforts to reduce tensions by opening a door to dialogue and hopes that “the military resources that are there will be withdrawn” for communication.

In this file photo taken on September 2, 2020, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo speaks during his weekly briefing at the State Department in Washington, DC.

In this file photo taken on September 2, 2020, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo speaks during his weekly briefing at the State Department in Washington, DC. (NICHOLAS KAMM / AFP)

The United States maintains that resolutions on maritime escalations in the eastern Mediterranean must be “diplomatic and peaceful,” Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said.

Addressing reporters on his way to Doha, Qatar for intra-Afghan peace talks, Pompeo said that US President Donald Trump has urged tact in talks with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and the Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis.

“I will be working on that project as well, trying to make sure that I understand the associated risks from the perspective of the people of Cyprus and take that into account as we continue to work on the challenges that the eastern Mediterranean presents today. It is something that we are very focused on. “, said.

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Germany’s efforts

The top US diplomat praised Germany’s diplomatic efforts to open dialogue to reduce tensions in the region, adding that the United States hopes “that these will be real talks and we hope that the military assets that are there will be withdrawn so that these talks can have. place”.

Pompeo’s comments come as the region faces exceptionally tense tensions over the issue of energy exploration and national maritime borders.

Last week, the United States decided to partially lift a decades-old arms embargo against the Greek Cypriot administration, drawing the ire of Ankara. Turkey’s Foreign Ministry was quick to respond saying that if Washington does not reconsider its decision, the Turkish government would take countermeasures, calling the move incompatible with the spirit of the alliance between nations.

READ MORE: Why Turkey and Greece have so many differences

Turkey (gray) in an agreement with Libya (green) in 2019 agreed to a maritime border that, according to Ankara, was fair and equitable.

Turkey (gray) in an agreement with Libya (green) in 2019 agreed to a maritime border that, according to Ankara, was fair and equitable. (TRTWorld)

Foreign Ministers of Turkey and Italy discussed the Middle East

Turkey’s foreign minister had a telephone conversation with his Italian counterpart on Friday, according to diplomatic sources.

Mevlut Cavusoglu and Italian Foreign Minister Luigi Di Maio discussed issues related to Libya and the eastern Mediterranean.

Greece has contested Turkey’s energy exploration in the region, trying to fit into Turkish maritime territory based on small islands off the Turkish coast. French President Emmanuel Macron has interceded in support of Athens.

READ MORE: Macron, an imitation of De Gaulle without a plan

This is the area that Greece will occupy if Turkey does not assert its claim to the eastern Mediterranean.

This is the area that Greece will occupy if Turkey does not assert its claim to the eastern Mediterranean. (TRTWorld)

Apparently seeking to block Turkey’s maritime territorial claims, Greece signed exclusive economic zone agreements with Italy on June 9 and with Egypt on August 7. Turkey’s Foreign Ministry dismissed the latest pact in a statement, stating that Greece and Egypt do not share maritime borders and the deal is “null and void.”

He added that the area demarcated in the pact is located on Turkey’s continental shelf, as Ankara reported to the UN.

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Turkey criticizes EU statement, says open to talks with Greece

Source: TRTWorld and agencies

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