Greece and France have both demanded tough sanctions against Ankara, which could be agreed at a European summit in October.

It is recalled that France sent fighter jets and ships to the Eastern Mediterranean region to support Greece, which angered Turkey.

According to government officials, French President Emmanuel Macron and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan spoke by telephone on Tuesday evening.

French officials said Macron had told Erdogan to avoid taking steps that could increase tensions and to “engage unambiguously in building an area of ​​peace and cooperation in the Mediterranean.”

Turkish officials said Erdogan told his counterpart he expected “common sense and a constructive attitude” from France, saying he supported dialogue and cooperation to resolve the issues.

Two months ago, Macron expressed his solidarity with Cyprus and Greece in a Facebook post written in Greek.

Meanwhile, Turkey and Greece have agreed to talks over the disputed waters of the eastern Mediterranean.

The two sides declared themselves “ready to start exploratory talks” during a three-way videoconference between Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and European Council head Charles Michel.

The Greek Foreign Ministry also confirmed the talks, saying they would be held in Istanbul soon, without providing a specific date.

Source: fr24news