Newly elected Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis on Saturday offered to take 鈥渂rave steps鈥� to boost bilateral relations with Turkey.
鈥淚 call on [Turkish President Recep] Tayyip Erdogan for a mutual approach in which we will take brave steps,鈥� Mitsotakis told the Parliament鈥檚 General Assembly meeting.
He said he wanted to proceed in line with international law and refrain from 鈥渁ggressive rhetoric鈥�.
鈥淲e are living together in this geography. Unnecessary tensions and arms race deprive both countries of valuable resources,鈥� he said.
On July 7, Greece鈥檚 New Democracy party (ND) led by Mitsotakis scored a clear victory in snap general elections.
Turkish-Greek ties have been at odds especially due to recent developments in the Eastern Mediterranean.
Turkey has consistently contested the Greek Cypriot administration鈥檚 unilateral drilling in the Eastern Mediterranean, asserting that the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) also has rights to resources in the area.
Since this spring, Ankara has sent two drilling vessels -- Fatih and most recently Yavuz -- to the Eastern Mediterranean, asserting the rights of Turkey and the TRNC over the resources of the region.
Athens and Greek Cypriots have opposed the move, threatening to arrest the ships鈥� crews and enlisting EU leaders to join their criticism.
Reporting by Furkan Naci Top in Athens
Writing by Sena Guler
Anadolu Agency
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