U.S. Secretary of State Antpny Blinken on Tuesday urged NATO allies Greece and Turkey to tone down the rhetoric as both countries face national elections in an effort to strengthen unity in the transatlantic alliance, The Associated Press reported.

Blinken met with officials in Athens after a stopover in Turkey, where he also visited regions most affected by the devastating recent earthquakes.

Greek and Turkish officials said they were willing to take a timeout in the long-running dispute over maritime boundaries in the eastern Mediterranean after earthquakes that killed some 45,000 people in Turkey and Syria.

The U.S. secretary of state said he hoped the pause would give the two countries an opportunity to get back to diplomacy.

Blinken called on Ankara and Athens to resolve their differences through dialogue,through diplomacy, and at the same time not to take any unilateral action or use any charged rhetoric that will only complicate the situation.