Originally posted by the Voice of America.
Voice of America content is produced by the Voice of America,
a United States federal government-sponsored entity, and is in
the public domain.


Turkish, Greek Diplomats Meet Amid Rising Tensions

Dorian Jones

   ISTANBUL - Turkish and Greek diplomats met Friday in a bid to defuse
   rising bilateral tensions over control of the eastern Mediterranean
   Sea, which is at the center of a regional scramble for what might be
   vast gas reserves.

   The Turkish-Greek gathering in Ankara follows U.S. Secretary of State
   Mike Pompeo's confirmation Thursday of plans for a "diplomatic
   initiative" to calm tensions between the two NATO nations.

   Athens and Ankara are historical rivals with long-existing territorial
   disputes over the shared Aegean Sea and divided island of Cyprus.

   Those rivalries have been exacerbated by a dispute over control of the
   Mediterranean Sea, where significant exploration for hydrocarbons has
   been going on since Israel's discovery of the vast Leviathan gas field.

   Greece has exploited Turkey's regional isolation by building an
   alliance with Israel and Egypt, while seeking to develop and distribute
   natural gas. All the countries have strained or nonexistent relations
   with Turkey.

   Turkey took the region by surprise in November by turning to Libya.
   Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan signed a security commitment and
   a deal that gives Turkey control of a crucial strategic swathof the
   Mediterranean, with the Tripoli-based Government of National Accord.
   The GNA is led by Prime Minister Fayez Sarraj.
   

References

   Visible links
   Hidden links:
   1. file://localhost/europe/turkey-greece-tensions-escalate-over-ankaras-mediterranean-ambitions

.