Pyatt: Turkey-Libya deal undermining regional stability
The maritime boundaries agreement signed between Turkey and Libya’s internationally recognized government undermines regional stability, US Ambassador to Greece Geoffrey Pyatt said on Tuesday.
“We have not seen the text yet, but we certainly see such a move as detracting from the situation of stability that the United States has sought to encourage,” Pyatt said on the sidelines of a conference organized by the American-Hellenic Chamber of Commerce.
“We hope that as quickly as possible, the focus can return to building areas of cooperation based on international law, a point that Secretary of State [Mike] Pompeo made very clear in his remarks with the Foreign Minister, with the Prime Minister, when he was here in Athens,” the ambassador said.
Pyatt said that the United States and Greece share a strong interest in seeing that Turkey remains anchored in the West and the NATO defense alliance, while commending the stance of the conservative government in Athens in the face of growing tension.
“We have consistently made clear our appreciation for the steps that Prime [Kyriakos] Minister Mitsotakis and his government have taken, literally from their first days in office, to help ensure that the channels of communication between Athens and Ankara are open and to make clear that Greece is not seeking escalation, is not seeking provocation.
