A 24-hour hotline has been established between Turkey and Greece as part of a mechanism to resolve the conflict over the ownership of the continental shelf in the Eastern Mediterranean, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg told a briefing in Ankara following a meeting with Turkish FM Mevlut Cavusoglu.
The mechanism includes the creation of a secure hotline between Greece and Turkey, which operates around the clock, Stoltenberg said, adding that the alliance welcomes the efforts of both countries aimed at resolving the dispute through diplomatic means.
The situation in the Eastern Mediterranean has escalated again this summer after Turkey decided to resume exploration in offshore hydrocarbon fields in the eastern Mediterranean, in waters that Turkey disputes with Greece and Cyprus.
