ATHENS, Greece – Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Tuesday expressed talks between Greece and Turkey, NATO allies whose relations have deteriorated to the point where the two warships clashed in the Mediterranean.
Speaking from the base of the Souda Bay army on the Greek island of Crete at the time of a five-day regional tour, Pompeo said that between the United States and Greece they are “in record and are strengthening. “
Greece has turned to the United States and the European Union in its dispute with neighbouring Turkey, which it accuses of violating its sovereign rights in the eastern Mediterranean. EU leaders are expected to talk about possible sanctions against Turkey, which is not a member of the bloc, this week.
Last month, Turkey sent a ship, accompanied by warships, to seek energy resources in a region where Greece claims exclusive rights. Athens also sent warships to the region and put its armed forces on alert. The dispute has raised fears of open conflict.
Tensions at sea have calmed down recently, and Athens and Ankara declared that they would hold exploratory talks about the resumption of stalled talks. Technical discussions at the army point also led NATO to an army accident.
In Turkey, a senior ruling party official said Pompeo had “lost his impartiality” in the dispute by making a stopover in Greece twice in a month and ignoring Turkish Cypriots on a stopover in Cyprus.
“You can’t serve peace in the region by visiting only the Greek component of the island [of Cyprus], making two visits to Greece and making unilateral declarations of support,” said Omer Celik, spokesman for President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. componenty. told reporters. ” We are required to return to a balanced policy. “
During tensions with Turkey, Greece announced purchases of primary weapons, adding French warplanes, such as warships, helicopters and weapons systems.
“I was pleased to see that Mr. Pompeo stores our positions, understanding that the tensions between two NATO members in the end are not in anyone’s interest,” Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said after talks with Pompeo.
After taking a step back on regional issues, the United States has begun to worry more in the Mediterranean in 2018, said Michael Tanchum of the Austrian Institute for European Policy and Security.
“The United States proceeded cautiously, balancing interests in parts of the region from Syria, Cyprus and Libya,” Tanchum said. “[But] occasions in the eastern Mediterranean are forcing Washington to accelerate the speed at which it is deepening its participation. . “
Pompeo visited Athens last October and signed an agreement with Greece that provided for the intensification of joint activities between the United States, Greece and NATO in 3 locations in Greece, as well as infrastructure and other innovations in Souda Bay.
Pompeo and Mitsotakis announced Tuesday that the United States will base a military shipment on an army base they share with Greece, just six hundred miles off the Turkish coast.
The USS Hershel “Woody” Williams, an expeditionary shipment from the maritime base, is assigned to the US command for Africa and is the type of shipment that can interfere with a high-intensity conflict, as tensions between Turkey and Greece, two NATO allies, boil.
But its deployment in Souda Bay may simply serve as a symbolic warning of America’s growing inflammation with Ankara.
“It is literally the best selection considering the strategic location of the facility. And it’s the symbol of a defense partnership that will continue to expand and develop,” Pompeo said.
Pompeo said security cooperation with Greece “is, in particular, as Russia continues to destabilize the region, especially in Libya. “
He said he and Mitsotakis “also agreed to explore closer cooperation to succeed over the demanding situations raised through Russia. “He referred to a “malicious influence” as the dissemination of incorrect information about the coronavirus pandemic and the attempt to involve the Orthodox Church. .
Pompeo’s tour will also come with visits to Italy, the Vatican and Croatia.
Information for this article provided through Elena Becatoros, Derek Gatopoulos and Suzan Fraser of the Associated Press; and through Lara Jakes of The New York Times.