Erdogan: Resolving disputes in Mediterranean is possible through negotiations

As long as there is a just approach in the Eastern Mediterranean, disputes can be resolved through negotiations," he said in a telephone conversation with the German chancellor.

Iran Press/Asia: In a telephone conversation with German Chancellor Angela Merkel, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan stressed that European countries should take a fair and rational stance on Eastern Mediterranean issues.

Erdogan, meanwhile, stressed that Turkey is committed to its rights and will continue to pursue its policies actively.

Turkey and Greece are at loggerheads over ownership of areas in the eastern Mediterranean that have become particularly important due to oil and gas exploration.

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.

Greece and Turkey have been on the brink of war three times since the mid-1970s.

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