Negotiations between Turkish and Greek officials at NATO headquarters on how to avoid military escalation in the Eastern Mediterranean have been postponed until Thursday, sources from the Turkish Ministry of Defense announced.
The military delegations of the two NATO member countries were supposed to talk today at the headquarters of the Alliance in Brussels, but Turkish sources say that the meeting has been postponed until Thursday, reports Reuters.
Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu accused Greece of reneging on an agreement to hold technical talks, which would not address the underlying territorial dispute but could discuss the establishment of a hotline between the two militaries and the permanent use of naval call signs.
"If Greece believes in itself, if it has courage and believes in its thesis, then let it come and sit at the table," Cavusoglu said at a press conference in Ankara.
Athens says that any talks require the departure of Turkish ships from disputed waters, and an unnamed Greek source told Reuters that the presence of those ships leads to tensions and "the concentration of a large number of military forces in the area."
Greek President Katerina Sakelaropoulou said that the country wants dialogue, but not "under threats, blackmail and provocations".
Greece is also asking the European Union to impose sanctions on Turkey.
The talks, announced last week by NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, are aimed at preventing escalation that could result from incidents such as last month's collision between Greek and Turkish warships.
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