ATHENS, Greece: Senior diplomats from Greece and Turkey met in Athens on Tuesday in an effort to ease long-standing tensions between the two NATO members over disputed sea boundaries and related mineral rights.
The exploratory talks, which lasted for four hours at a hotel next to parliament, are aimed at leading to more formal negotiations following a five-year pause.
The tension between Greece and Turkey led to a dangerous military build-up in the eastern Mediterranean last year and also added strain to Ankara’s ties with the European Union.
The EU is currently preparing an evaluation report on its relationship with Turkey. European officials say there have been signs of improvement in recent weeks. Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias, who was not present at the talks Tuesday, said he hoped an improvement in ties would allow for him to meet with his Turkish counterpart, Melvut Cavusolglu.
But in Ankara, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan ruled out making any concessions to Greece concerning its rights in the eastern Mediterranean.
“Turkey’s determination continues unchanged,” he told journalists during a news conference. “In other words, there can be no question of us making any concessions.” The exploratory talks in Athens were led by Turkish Deputy Foreign Minister Sedat Onal and Pavlos Apostolides, a veteran senior Greek diplomat and former National Intelligence Service director.
Greek, Turkish diplomats hold talks after year of strain
https://arab.news/mrah2
Greek, Turkish diplomats hold talks after year of strain
- The exploratory talks are aimed at leading to more formal negotiations following a five-year pause
- The tension between Greece and Turkey led to a dangerous military build-up in the eastern Mediterranean last year
Pull him off TV: Steve Bannon shuts down Sen. Lindsey Graham
- Trump’s former chief strategist called for the senator to be registered as a foreign agent
DUBAI: Former White House chief strategist Steve Bannon called on Tuesday for US Senator Lindsey Graham to be registered as a foreign agent of the Israeli government, escalating a growing conservative backlash against the senator’s vocal support for Israel.
Speaking on his podcast “War Room,” Bannon said Graham should be “pulled off of television,” adding: "This is dangerous… because you have guys like Lindsey Graham and dozens more that are doing the wrong thing.”
In a Fox News interview on Monday, Graham said: “To all the antisemites, to all the isolationists… I’m not with you, I’m with Israel, I will be with Israel to our dying day.”
Graham also urged Gulf Arab states to join military action against Iran. “What I want you to do in the Middle East, to our friends in Saudi Arabia and other places, [is] step forward and say, ‘this is my fight too, I join America, I’m publicly involved in bringing this regime down,’” he said.
In a post on X, Graham questioned the value of a US defense agreement with Saudi Arabia following the evacuation of the American embassy in Riyadh, writing: “Why should America do a defense agreement with a country like the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia that is unwilling to join a fight of mutual interest?”
Faisal Abbas, editor-in-chief of Arab News, responded to Graham’s comments in a Sky News interview, saying: “He flip flops so much, it’s actually entertaining.”
“On one hand, he says he will never set foot in Saudi Arabia. The next day, he’s here signing multimillion-dollar deals.”
“I don’t think anyone here takes him seriously,” Abbas added.
He warned Graham to be careful what he wished for: “Do you really want Saudi Arabia involved in this war putting our oil facilities at risk or do you want us stabilizing the energy markets?”
Graham pressed further, warning that inaction would carry a price. “Hopefully Gulf Cooperation Council countries will get more involved as this fight is in their backyard. If you are not willing to use your military now, when are you willing to use it?”
“Hopefully this changes soon. If not, consequences will follow.”
Graham's remarks drew sharp criticism from Bannon and others including podcast host Megyn Kelly.
She questioned on X whether Graham was overstepping his authority as a senator, writing: “When did Lindsay Graham become our president?”
Kelly also said Graham had threatened Lebanon, Cuba, Saudi Arabia, the wider Arab region, and Spain within a 24-hour period.
The problem with Graham “isn’t (just) that he’s a homicidal maniac, it’s that Trump likes and is listening to him,” she said in another post.
