UPDATE 2 - Athens to blame for heightened tensions with Ankara, Turkish president tells NATO chief

UPDATES WITH TURKISH PRESIDENT'S REMARKS; REVISES HEAD, DECK, LEDE

By Faruk Zorlu and Ahmet Gencturk

ANKARA (AA) - Greece is responsible for the ongoing escalation with Ankara in the region, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Friday.

"It was not Türkiye that increased tensions in the region, and it would be useful to direct Greece to engage in dialogue," Erdogan said at a meeting with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, according to the country's Communications Directorate.

The directorate said in a statement that during Stoltenberg's visit to Istanbul, he and Erdogan discussed Greece's provocations against Türkiye, as well as the Russia-Ukraine war and a trilateral memorandum that Türkiye signed in June with Finland and Sweden on the two Nordic countries' bids to join NATO.

On Finland and Sweden, Erdogan said their actions would determine the pace and time of the process to ratify their accession to the alliance.

Sweden and Finland formally applied to join NATO in June, a decision spurred by Russia's war on Ukraine.

However, Türkiye, a NATO member for over 70 years, voiced objections to the membership bids, criticizing the two countries for tolerating and even supporting terrorist groups.

Sweden and Finland struck a deal with Türkiye in June, and Erdogan has warned Türkiye will not give the nod to their memberships until Ankara's concerns are addressed.

The trilateral agreement stipulates that Sweden and Finland will not provide support to the YPG/PYD, the PKK's Syrian offshoot, and the Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETO), the group behind the 2016 defeated coup attempt in Türkiye. The deal also said Ankara extends full support to Sweden and Finland against threats to their national security.

The Nordic countries have both agreed to address Ankara's pending deportation or extradition requests for terror suspects.

All 30 standing NATO allies need to approve any expansion of the bloc.

- Russia-Ukraine war

On the landmark Black Sea grain deal, signed last summer to allow Ukrainian food exports to resume and thus help stave off a global food crisis, Erdogan told Stoltenberg that Türkiye would focus on extending the accord.

The Turkish president also emphasized the need for Russia and Ukraine to immediately relaunch talks to end the war and reach a just solution, the Communications Directorate statement added.

This came after Russia announced last week that it was pulling out of the grain deal, accusing Ukraine of attacking its Black Sea Fleet with drones.

However, Türkiye and Russia announced Moscow's return to the deal's implementation on Wednesday, following mediation from Ankara and the UN.

Türkiye, the UN, Russia, and Ukraine signed the agreement on July 22 in Istanbul to resume Black Sea grain exports, which were paused after the war began in February. A Joint Coordination Center with officials from the three countries and the UN was set up in Istanbul to oversee the shipments.

Following the meeting, Stoltenberg praised Türkiye's role in the resumption of the Black Sea grain deal.

"We also discussed finalising #Finland & #Sweden's #NATO membership, which will make our Alliance stronger," he said on Twitter.

Turkish first lady Emine Erdogan and Stoltenberg's wife Ingrid Schulerud were also present at the reception held at the Dolmabahce Presidential Office.

Stoltenberg also met with Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu in Istanbul on Thursday.