ATHENS, Greece (AP) 鈥� Greece is ready to 鈥渆xtend a hand of friendship鈥� to neighbor and regional rival Turkey, Greece鈥檚 prime minister said Thursday while also accusing Turkey鈥檚 president of whipping up anti-Greek sentiment at home.
Tensions have escalated between the two NATO allies, which are divided over a series of issues and have come to the brink of war three times in the last half century.
鈥淢y wish is that, even with delay, our neighbors will choose the road of de-escalation, of legality, of peaceful coexistence without rhetorical outbursts but with constructive actions,鈥� Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitostakis said after meeting with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz in Athens.
鈥淥n my side, they will always find me ready to extend a hand of friendship. We don鈥檛 have any room for further needless sources of tension,鈥� Mitsotakis said, adding that differences must be resolved peacefully. 鈥淭hat is what our people want, that is what the Greek people want, that is what the Turkish people want, that is what all of Europe wants.鈥�
Disputes between Greece and Turkey include sea boundaries in the Aegean and eastern Mediterranean that affect energy exploration rights. Turkey has also blasted Greece for maintaining a military presence on eastern Greek islands that it says violates international treaties.
Greece counters that it faces a direct threat from Turkey, which has a significant military presence on the Turkish coast opposite the islands, and has reacted with horror to statements from Turkish officials implying the sovereignty of some inhabited Greek islands could be disputed.
鈥淚t should not be that NATO partners question each other鈥檚 sovereignty,鈥� Scholz said in a brief joint press conference with Mitsotakis after their meeting. 鈥淎ll issues must be resolved through dialogue and on the basis of international law. And we are very much in agreement on that.鈥�
Mitsotakis said it was 鈥渢ruly a shame鈥� that Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan 鈥渃an鈥檛 see that he is walking into a dead end when he poisons his people with lies against Greece. Because our neighbors and all our allies know that the Greek islands do not threaten anyone.鈥�
The German chancellor said it was 鈥渋n the interest of all neighbors鈥� to exploit the economic potential of the Mediterranean 鈥渇or the benefit of their respective populations. I got the impression in my conversation that Greece is very willing to do this. And we can and should have confidence in that.鈥�
Elena Becatoros, The Associated Press
