Pompeo calls for reduction of ‘military footprint’ in East Med

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has called on every nation involved in an ongoing Eastern Mediterranean energy and maritime rights dispute to “reduce the tension” and the “military footprint” in the region.

In an interview with France Inter radio on Tuesday morning, Pompeo stressed US President Donald Trump’s engagement over the issues, pointing to his own recent visit to Nicosia and conversations with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Cyprus President Nicos Anastasiades and Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis.

The United States, he said, urges all parties to resolve their differences over maritime rights in the Mediterranean Sea according to international conventions, “without the use of military power but through the normal mechanisms.”