Istanbul, Jan. 25, (dpa/GNa) – Greece and Turkey are due to resume exploratory talks on Monday after a five-year hiatus to resolve the natural gas dispute in the eastern Aegean.
The 61st round of consultations is scheduled to take place in the Turkish metropolis of Istanbul.
According to media reports, the Turkish delegation will be led by Deputy Foreign Minister Sedat Onal, the Greek delegation by the diplomat Pavlos Apostolidis.
The conflict over natural gas has been smouldering between the two neighbouring countries – both NATO allies – for months. Last year it almost escalated militarily.
EU member Greece accuses Turkey of exploring for natural gas in sea areas which, according to international maritime law, may only be exploited by Greece.
According to Ankara, these areas belong to the Turkish continental shelf.
Exploratory talks between Ankara and Athens took place for the first time in February 2002. Traditionally, both sides do not officially disclose the status and development of the talks, and it remains to be seen how fruitful they are.
So far, the parties to the conflict have not even agreed on what they want to discuss. If Ankara has its way, all contentious issues are to be put on the table, including the respective territories and Exclusive Economic Zones (EEZs) in the Aegean Sea as well as the demilitarization of Greek islands off the Turkish coast and differences over the respective expansion of airspace.
Athens, on the other hand, wants to discuss only the gas conflict, that is the extent of the continental shelves of both countries in the Aegean and the related economic zones.
The dispute has also strained relations between the EU and Turkey, with Brussels imposing sanctions, but tough punitive measures have not materialized for the time being.
According to Guenter Seufert, head of the Centre for Applied Turkey Studies (CATS) in Berlin, both sides are aware that they will not achieve quick results.
“I think it is good that Greece and Turkey are talking to each other at all,” he told dpa. Both sides were also interested in buying time, he said.
GNA