We need to find a way to resolve east Med tensions based on allied solidarity spirit: NATO chief

NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg on Aug. 26 called for dialogue to ease tensions in the eastern Mediterranean. “Turkey and Greece have both been important NATO allies for many years. We need to find a way to resolve the situation in the eastern Mediterranean based on the spirit of allied solidarity,” Stoltenberg said.

Anadolu Agency

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The NATO chief on Aug. 26 called for dialogue to ease tensions in the eastern Mediterranean.

“Turkey and Greece have both been important NATO allies for many years. We need to find a way to resolve the situation in the eastern Mediterranean based on the spirit of allied solidarity,” Jens Stoltenberg said ahead of the EU defense ministers’ informal meeting in Berlin.

The meeting will discuss the latest situation in the eastern Mediterranean, Libya, Mali and Belarus.

It is the first time since March that EU defense ministers are meeting in person amid the coronavirus.

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EU foreign affairs ministers will continue the discussion on Aug. 27 and 28 on the same topics, as well as on the bloc’s Russia strategy and the geopolitical implications of the coronavirus.

A senior EU official told Anadolu Agency the ministers will only consider different foreign policy actions as a response to the crises in Belarus and the Eastern Mediterranean.

“Sanctions will not be decided” at the meeting, he said.

The informal ministerial meetings in Berlin are hosted by the German presidency of the European Council.