US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Tuesday (September 15) called on Turkey and Greece to abandon any military escalation and to focus on finding a diplomatic solution to the gas conflict between them in the eastern Mediterranean.
Read also: What is the source of the tensions between Greece and Turkey that threaten regional security?
"
We must solve this problem without using military power but by normal mechanisms, by international resolutions, particularly on the rights (energy, editor's note) associated with this region,
" he said on French radio France Inter.
"
We must reduce the military footprint everywhere and resort to diplomatic means, not military
", insisted the head of American diplomacy.
The two countries are fighting over areas in the eastern Mediterranean that are potentially rich in natural gas.
The tension escalated in late August, when they carried out rival military maneuvers.
France has clearly shown its support for Greece by deploying warships and fighter jets in the region, an initiative strongly denounced by Ankara.
The Turkish exploration vessel at the center of tensions finally returned to the Turkish coast on Sunday, possibly paving the way for an appeasement between the two countries.
The crisis in the Eastern Mediterranean is on the program of a European summit on September 24 and 25 in Brussels, with the threat of sanctions against Turkey.
/cloudfront-eu-central-1.images.arcpublishing.com/prisa/7GQFROHL7D5WVN2CURF3PRPABY.jpg)
