US Foreign Minister Antony Blinken urged Greece and Turkey in Athens on Tuesday to avoid "
tensions
" before crucial elections are held in the two countries in the coming months.
We must "
avoid any threats or provocative rhetoric that will only exacerbate tensions, which can be more difficult during an election period
", underlined the American Secretary of State during a press conference with his Greek counterpart Nikos Dendias .
Historical rivals
Elections must be held in both countries.
In Greece, the exact date of the legislative election has not yet been fixed but it will be held in the spring.
In Turkey, the presidential and legislative elections are scheduled for May 14, but speculation is rife about their possible postponement due to the earthquakes that have just struck the south-east of the country.
Antony Blinken, who is completing a tour in Greece during which he stopped in Germany and Turkey, urged the two countries to avoid "
any unilateral action or to use loaded rhetoric which would only make things more difficult
" .
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Athens and Ankara, historical rivals but partners within NATO, have begun a rapprochement since the violent earthquake that devastated south-eastern Turkey and neighboring Syria on February 6, causing tens of thousands of deaths and immense damage.
Redefining relationships
After months of heightened tensions, the Greek Minister of Foreign Affairs paid a remarkable visit to the regions devastated by the earthquake in the company of his Turkish counterpart Mevlut Cavusoglu, assuring Greece's solidarity with Turkey.
Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis also felt that the earthquake "
could be an opportunity
" to redefine the hitherto stormy relations between his country and Turkey.
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Greece has also deployed significant logistical and medical resources to help its neighbour.
Turkey and Greece regularly quarrel over the migration file, the drawing of maritime borders and the hydrocarbon deposits in the eastern Mediterranean.
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