Turkey 'explicitly' asks Greece to refrain from tension
Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim says Aegean Sea should be 'friendship' sea between Turkey and Greece
Ankara has "explicitly" told Greece that refraining from tensions would be "better" for bilateral ties, Prime Minister Binali Yildirim said on Wednesday.
Talking to the media at Ankara’s Esenboga Airport before leaving for Belarus, Yildirim said: "We explicitly expressed to him [Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras] that staying away from tensions will be better, with regards to relations between the two countries."
His remarks came a day after he and Tsipras spoke over the phone and discussed recent developments in the Aegean Sea.
He said the Aegean Sea should be a "friendship" sea between Turkey and Greece.
"Recently, there have been some violations in this tension, which started with Kardak rocks, to which we gave a response," Yildirim said.
He added the two premiers agreed to ease tensions and keep communication line open via political and diplomatic channels.
Yildirim said a NATO General Staffs meeting would be held in May.
"In this framework, the chiefs of General Staff of the two countries will gather and mutually discuss the necessary measures to ensure tensions in the field do not escalate further," he added.
