NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg sand Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan spoke on Friday in a phone call, during which they talked about the recent dispute between Athens and Ankara in the eastern Mediterranean and de-escalation mechanisms, the bloc said in a statement.

Iran Press/Europe: "NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg spoke by telephone with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Friday (28 August 2020). They discussed recent developments in the eastern Mediterranean," the statement reads, according to Sputnik.

According to the statement, Stoltenberg stressed the need to resolve the crisis through international law and promote peaceful dialogue.

Erdogan, in turn, stated that the alliance should not support unilateral steps "violating the international law and harming peace in the region" against the backdrop of the strained Turkish-Greek relations, the president's office said later in the day.

The Turkey-Greece tensions exacerbated over the past few weeks as Turkey intensified the drilling closer to the Greek border, ignoring the calls to vacant the disputed waters. Greece mobilized its armed forces and warned it would stand up for its sovereignty by all available means, including military.

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