German Defence Minister Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer and NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg on Wednesday 26 August called for dialogue between Greece and Turkey as relations between the two Allies in the eastern Mediterranean become increasingly tense.
“We need appeasement, we need dialogue”, said Mr Stoltenberg on his arrival at the informal meeting of the Defence Ministers of the Member States of the European Union. “Turkey and Greece (...) must find a way to resolve the situation in the Eastern Mediterranean, based on the spirit of Allied solidarity and international law”, he said.
Welcoming Germany’s mediation efforts, Mr Stoltenberg said that NATO would continue to be a platform for Allies to meet and find a solution.
At the end of the ministerial meeting, Ms Kramp-Karrenbauer stressed the importance of calming the situation as soon as possible so that a political solution to the conflict could be discussed.
“The situation must be calmed down. (...) There are a large number of ships on site from different countries, so we need to create some space for discussion”, she explained, adding that discussions should be on an equal footing. “We need to find a starting point to get into the discussions”, she said.
According to the minister, ongoing military manoeuvres in the area on both sides are not helpful. And tensions have an impact on relations between Turkey and the EU, but also within NATO.
The situation in the Mediterranean will be discussed at the Gymnich on Thursday 27 and Friday 28 August in Berlin (see EUROPE 12546/4). (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)