Top Turkish, Greek diplomats hold first meeting since crisis

The foreign ministers of Turkey and Greece met on Thursday for the first time since a dispute emerged between the two NATO members over energy exploration and territorial rights in the eastern Mediterranean, the Turkish Foreign Ministry said.

Turkey’s Mevlut Cavusoglu and Greek counterpart Nikos Dendias met on the sidelines of the Global Security Forum in the Slovak capital Bratislava, it said. Turkish state media said the two men discussed “bilateral and regional issues”.

Turkey and Greece sharply disagree over rights to offshore resources and the extent of continental shelves. Tensions simmered in August when Turkish and Greek warships collided, but later eased when Ankara and Athens agreed to resume talks.

Greece has accused Turkey of illegally carrying out seismic exploration in parts of the Mediterranean claimed by Athens and Cyprus, but Turkey says its operations are within international law.

Ankara withdrew its exploration vessels from contested waters last month to “allow for diplomacy” ahead of a meeting of EU leaders. After the summit the bloc said it would punish Turkey if it continued its operations in the region.