Greek foreign minister says Athens is ready for talks with Turkey to resolve sea borders dispute

By MENELAOS HADJICOSTIS
Associated Press

NICOSIA, Cyprus (AP) — Greece’s newly-appointed foreign minister says his country is ready to start talks with Turkey to resolve a long-standing dispute over maritime borders that has repeatedly brought the two neighbors to the brink of armed conflict. Foreign Minister Giorgos Gerapetritis said Tuesday that the Greek government wants to “take advantage of the ongoing positive climate” in order to come to an agreement on delineating the areas in which each country has exclusive economic rights including the right to search for offshore oil and gas. Another key issue at the heart of Greek-Turkish tensions that Gerapetritis wants resolved is the extent of the continental shelf of Greek islands near Turkey’s coastline in the Aegean and the eastern Mediterranean.