Turkish, US leaders discuss East Mediterranean by phone

Recep Tayyip Erdogan says Turkey proved with 'concrete actions' it wants to reduce tensions, establish dialogue on issue

By Jeyhun Aliyev

ANKARA (AA) - Turkey’s president discussed bilateral relations and regional developments over the phone with his US counterpart Wednesday, especially regarding the Eastern Mediterranean.

Recep Tayyip Erdogan reminded Donald Trump that Turkey is not a party creating instability in the Eastern Mediterranean, the Turkish Communications Directorate said in a statement.

He stressed that Turkey proved with "concrete actions" that it wants to reduce tensions and establish dialogue on the matter.

Greece has disputed Turkey's current energy exploration in the Eastern Mediterranean, trying to box in Turkish maritime territory based on small islands near the Turkish coast.

Turkey -- the country with the longest coastline on the Mediterranean -- has sent out drill ships to explore for energy on its continental shelf, saying that both Turkey and the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) have rights in the region.

Dialogue for fairly sharing these resources will be a win-win for all sides, say Turkish officials.

Turkey has also called foul on Athens for seeking EU support for blocking Ankara’s legitimate energy exploration.

Kaynak: