Turkey invites Greece to resume dialogues over maritime conflicts in east Mediterranean

To reduce tensions and dispute over maritime borders and energy rights in the eastern Mediterranean, Turkey invited Greece to resume talks on Monday, January 11. According to reports, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu extended an invitation to Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias regarding a meeting to discuss their relations.

The Turkish Foreign Minister said, "Today... we want to extend an open invitation to Greece. We invite Greece to start exploratory talks, with the first meeting being held in January".

This comes after Turkey vowed to improve ties with the countries of the European Union. Cavusoglu further said that Turkey will be hosting the talks at a date that will be mutually decided. These talks will be the 61st round of a long-running process of negotiations between Greece and Turkey and aim at improving relations between the rival nations. 

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Conflict between both the nations 

Turkish and Greek foreign ministers last met in the month of October while attending a conference in Slovakia and reached an agreement to set up a date for a new round of negotiations between the two countries. The NATO allies have been locked in conflict over the maritime boundaries in the eastern Mediterranean as warships from both sides stand guard.

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Tensions between Greece and Turkey escalated after Ankara sent research vessels to look for resources in the region. The research boats were accompanied by warships, which upset the Greek side, who immediately asked Turkey to withdraw the vessels.

Greece, in turn, then sent its own warships to the region stoking fear of conflict among regional partners. The European Union had warned Ankara of possible sanctions for its actions in the eastern Mediterranean. Meanwhile, the European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has urged Ankara to maintain peace and regional stability and "abstain from unilateral actions" in the eastern Mediterranean region. 

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(With AP Inputs)