US seeking to ease Greece-Turkey tensions, says official
The United States is actively working towards easing mounting tensions between NATO allies Greece and Turkey, Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs Matthew Palmer said on Wednesday, according to the Athens-Macedonian News Agency (ANA-MPA).
“We are working with our allies and partners to promote dialogue, to promote the responsible management of areas where disagreements have been reported and to work to deescalate points of friction before they evolve into crises,” Palmer was quoted by the ANA-MPA as saying in translated comments during a webinar hosted by the German Marshall Fund of the United States.
Palmer referred to "challenges" posed by overflights of Turkish aircraft, which have been highlighted by the Greek government, saying that this is “not a new issue.”
“It is something we have been working on for years and many of these friction points have been around for a long time,” Palmer reportedly said.
On the situation at the Evros land border between the two countries, Palmer reportedly referred to a visit he carried out to northern Greece in March, saying that he had “encouraged Turkey to reduce this tension,” at the time.
