The Secretary General of NATO, Jens Stoltenberg, on Friday welcomed the dialogue that Turkey and Greece will open on Monday, the first step to resolve their differences in the eastern Mediterranean, ensuring that NATO, through the mechanism designed to avoid friction military, has helped bring positions closer.
Coinciding with the visit of the Turkish Foreign Minister, Mevlut Cavusoglu, the political leader of NATO highlighted the contacts within the organization between Turks and Greeks, which “has helped to reduce tensions and create space for political discussions” .
The Atlantic Alliance launched a mechanism agreed by the parties in early October with the aim of defusing tensions in the eastern Mediterranean. This was possible thanks to the bilateral dialogue within the military organization.
For his part, the Turkish minister has reiterated the need to strengthen “unity and solidarity” within the Atlantic Alliance. “Turkey assumes its leadership role in ensuring the defense of the Alliance.
Ankara maintains a dispute over the maritime delimitation in the Mediterranean with Greece and Cyprus that worsened during the summer with the deployment of ships in the area by Turkey, but also by France and Italy in solidarity with Athens.
MISSIONS IN IRAQ AND AFGHANISTAN
Stoltenberg has discussed with Cavusoglu the future of NATO missions in Iraq and Afghanistan, highlighting the Turkish contribution to the Alliance’s operations.
On the first, they have debated the future expansion to guarantee the fight against the Islamic State, while in the Afghan scenario they have indicated that the summit of defense ministers scheduled for February will be key to define the mission of NATO.
Regarding the crisis in Libya, Stoltenberg has expressed his concern about the situation and has recalled the position of the Alliance to commit to building defense and security institutions in the country.
