The Turkish Presidents Recep Tayyip Erdogan and French Emmanuel Macron discussed during a telephone conversation the relations between the two countries and the regional situation, in the first contact between them since the political escalation between the two countries against the background of the Eastern Mediterranean crisis.
A statement by the Turkish Presidency said that Erdogan stressed that the cause of tension in the eastern Mediterranean is ignoring the legitimate rights of Turkey and the Turkish Cypriots, and that Turkey will not allow any party to infringe on its rights.
Erdogan stressed - according to the Turkish presidency's statement - on activating the mechanism of consultation and communication between Turkey and France and discussing all the problems on the table, expressing his astonishment at the French support for what he called expansionist steps for Greece and Greek Cyprus, and said that they lead to raising tension.
On the other hand, a statement by the French presidency stated that President Emmanuel Macron called on Ankara to respect the sovereignty of the member states of the European Union and to desist from any unilateral steps.
The statement pointed out that the contact between the two parties extended for more than an hour, and dealt with issues in the eastern Mediterranean, Libya and Syria, noting that Macron expressed his welcome to the start of exploratory talks between Turkey and Greece.
Macron also called on Turkey to respect the arms embargo on Libya, and to respect the interests of Turkey's allies in Syria, and welcomed the launch of preliminary negotiations between Turkey and Greece, and the launch of a similar dialogue between Turkey and Cyprus.
He said he hoped those talks would be characterized by good intentions and would work to reduce the tension between Ankara and Athens.
Relations between the two countries deteriorated due to the tensions in the eastern Mediterranean, as France became involved in the crisis with its support from Greece and Cyprus, which raised the already high level of tension between the two countries against the background of the crisis in Libya, where Turkey supports the reconciliation government, while France supports the retired general Khalifa Haftar, It accuses Ankara of violating an international arms embargo on Libya.
The Turkish-Greek talks
On the other hand, the Greek Foreign Ministry announced that an agreement had been reached with Turkey to resume the 61st round of maritime border demarcation negotiations between the two countries in Istanbul soon, following a tripartite summit via video that brought together Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Chairman of the Council European Union Charles Michel, during which it was confirmed that Turkey and Greece are ready to start exploratory talks.
The first round of exploratory talks between the two countries began in 2002, and the last round (Round No. 60) was held on the first of March 2016 in the Greek capital Athens, and after that date, negotiations between the two countries continued in the form of political consultations, without returning to an exploratory framework again. .
Concurrently, a NATO official told the island that good progress had been made in technical talks between the Turkish and Greek military, describing them as constructive.
NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said that the technical talks between the Turkish and Greek military delegations are aimed at completing the ongoing diplomatic work.
The Turkish Ministry of Defense announced the end of the fifth technical meeting between the two countries at NATO headquarters in Brussels, noting that the sixth technical meeting will be held at the headquarters next week.
These meetings aim to set up a mechanism for settling disputes in the Aegean and eastern Mediterranean, and during which a document is being discussed that provides for a package of measures to build confidence between the two countries, and to establish a direct line of communication between the military authorities throughout the day.
Turkish Cyprus welcomes the talks For
its part, Turkish Cyprus welcomed the expected talks between Turkey and Greece, and the President of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus Mustafa Akinci and Prime Minister Ersin Tatar welcomed the announcement by Turkey and Greece and their readiness to start exploratory discussions between them regarding the tension in the Eastern Mediterranean.
In a statement issued by him on Tuesday, Akinci said that the decision of Turkey and Greece to start exploratory talks is very positive, and we welcome it, especially in light of the tension in the eastern Mediterranean for a long time, and he wished that this development would produce results in the interest of the two peoples and the peace of the region, indicating That he believed for some time in the need to solve problems through dialogue and discussion.
In turn, Prime Minister Arsin Tatar issued a statement welcoming the holding of the exploratory talks, adding that President Erdogan's call for the European Union to hold a regional conference with the presence of all parties - including Turkish Cypriots - is very positive.