The Defence Minister of Greece, Nikos Panagiotopoulos, and his Turkish counterpart, Hulusi Akar, met on the sidelines of the meeting of NATO defence ministers held in Brussels on Thursday.
According to a statement by the Greek National Defence Ministry, the two ministers underlined the importance of maintaining open channels of communication during the meeting.
Panagiotopoulos and Akar stressed “the need to create a climate of stability in the region on the basis of international law and good neighbourly conduct.”
Government sources told Ekathimerini that Panagiotopoulos also explained to Akar that the tension between Greece and Turkey cannot be deescalated as long as the Turkish side continues to engage in aggressive rhetoric and threats.
The meeting between the two ministers lasted 40 minutes and took place in a positive atmosphere.
Earlier, both ministers had also met separately with US Defence Secretary Lloyd J. Austin.
READ MORE: EU slams Turkey for Greek airspace violations and threats in new report.
Source: Ekathimerini.
