Turkish, Greek officials meet in Brussels

Turkey and Greece held talks at the weekend following months of tensions, signalling a possible move in resuming dialogue.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s chief foreign policy advisor Ibrahim Kalin and Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis’ diplomatic advisor Anna-Maria Boura met in Brussels, Belgium, Kathimerini newspaper reported on Sunday.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s top foreign policy advisor Jens Ploetner was also present at the meeting, it said.

The tensions between Ankara and Athens who have long been at odds over a string of issues, have build up lately over the status of the Eastern Aegean islands, where Turkey blames Greece for “illegally” militarizing them in violation of international treaties.

During an official visit to Washington in May, when the Greek Premier called on the US Congress to oppose the sale of F-16s to Ankara, Erdogan said he no longer “recognizes” Mitsotakis. Turkish President also has ended the direct talks with Athens that have resumed in January 2021 to discuss maritime disputes in the Eastern Mediterranean, after four-years of hiatus.