Greece, Turkey Hold Secret Talks in Brussels to Normalize Relations, Reports Say

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Germany has hosted a secret meeting in Brussels between top foreign policy advisers to the leaders of Greece and Turkey for them to discuss the normalization of bilateral relations marred by years of unceasing tensions, Greek media reported on Monday.

Greece's Anna-Maria Bura met with Turkey's Ibrahim Kalin on December 16 in the presence of German Chancellor's foreign policy adviser Jens Ploetner, Germany's former ambassador to Greece, local media reported.

The meeting took place in the German mission to the European Union without any preconditions on either side, the report said.

Turkey and Greece have been at odds for decades, with the risk of an armed conflict arising several times since 2020. The disputed issues include competing territorial claims in the Eastern Mediterranean, in particular in the region of the Aegean Sea, the Greek-Turkish divide in Cyprus, and the delimitation of maritime borders. Turkey has repeatedly accused Greece of deploying weapons on Aegean islands in violation of the 1923 Treaty of Lausanne.

In late August, a new round of tensions flared up when Greece allegedly used S-300 air defense systems to radar-lock Turkish air force F-16 fighters performing a reconnaissance mission west of the island of Rhodes. The Greek Defense Ministry denied Turkey's claim that Athens deployed its S-300s in Crete against Turkish F-16s.

In October, Turkey tested its indigenous short-range Tayfun ballistic missile over the Black Sea. Precident Tayyip Erdogan called the test a "signal" but did not specify to whom.