UPDATE - Resolving Turkish-Greek differences in both parties' interests: US' Blinken

UPDATES WITH MORE REMARKS BY BLINKEN, DENDIAS AND BLINKEN-TSIPRAS MEETING

By Ahmet Gencturk

ATHENS (AA) – The US favors and supports diplomatic resolution of the differences between Athens and Ankara, said US Secretary of State Antony Blinken in the Greek capital on Tuesday, just one day after visiting its Aegean neighbor Türkiye.

“I believe that this is in the interest of both peoples, and we hope that this is the path that our friends will follow," Blinken said after meeting with Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias.

Underscoring that both Greece and Türkiye are allies, partners, and friends of the US, he said that after visiting both countries, he has seen interest in both parties in improving bilateral ties.

Particularly on the atmosphere between Ankara and Athens, which improved after Greece was one of the first countries to extend condolences and help Türkiye in the wake of major earthquakes on Feb. 6, Blinken said he witnessed the sincere reception of the Greek aid by the Turkish people and state authorities.

He thanked the Greek state and people for their immediate and significant assistance offered to Türkiye.

Blinken, however, added that the problems between Athens and Ankara are long-standing and would take time to resolve.

Dendias, for his part, stressed that Greece’s aid to Türkiye comes out of humanitarian concerns and is not associated with any foreign policy goals.

“It is our obligation to our fellow human beings who are suffering, to help them, and we will continue to do so,” he said.

- Talks with former premier

Dendias said he was the first European foreign minister to visit the areas hit by the quake, and remarked on their magnitude.

During his visit, Dendias and his Turkish counterpart Mevlut Cavusoglu agreed that they should not wait for disasters to strike to normalize bilateral relations, Dendias remarked.

Blinken later met Alexis Tsipras, former prime minister and the leader of the main opposition SYRIZA-PS, and they spoke about issues with Türkiye over demarcation of maritime boundaries, particularly for energy exploration.

According to a statement released by the party, Tsipras said during the meeting: “Underlined that the climate of solidarity and cooperation following the deadly earthquakes in Turkey must be used to create a new dynamic in Greek-Turkish relations by promoting a meaningful dialogue on the basis of international law with a view to recourse to The Hague for a continental shelf / EEZ.”

In this process, the US has a crucial role to play, he added.

Türkiye has long sought a fair division of maritime resources based on good-faith dialogue and international law, and has stressed that this is a bilateral issue.

Blinken, who arrived in Athens Monday evening following his two-day visit to Türkiye, also met Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis and discussed the situation in the Eastern Mediterranean, as well as the devastating earthquakes in Türkiye.

On Tuesday, Blinken and Dendias launched the fourth round of the Greek-US Strategic Dialogue.

Before the quakes, Turkish officials had expressed concern about US policy diverging from its traditional balance between Türkiye and Greece, and urged Washington to return to a more even-handed approach.