Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan called for fresh negotiations with Greece over Aegean disputes at the close of th...

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan called for fresh negotiations with Greece over Aegean disputes at the close of the NATO summit in Ankara on Wednesday, proposing that the two countries' foreign ministers meet first, with the leaders themselves joining later if needed. Erdogan framed the talks as a shared obligation, saying he aligned with Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis on the need to resolve Aegean issues and that resolving them was "first and foremost the duty of leaders." The proposal came after two days of diplomatic exchanges at the summit, which was held in Turkey. Mitsotakis used the opportunity to put Turkey's casus belli squarely on the table. He called it "a historical anomaly" that has existed since 1995 and said the time has come to leave it behind. The casus belli means Turkey has formally reserved the right to go to war if Greece extends its territorial waters to 12 nautical miles, a right granted to all coastal nations under international law. Erdogan downplayed the casus belli issue entirely. He also voiced frustration that both Israel and Greece had raised concerns about Turkey potentially acquiring F-35 fighter jets, a prospect that came up in discussions involving US President Donald Trump at the summit. When Mitsotakis was asked directly about the F-35 question, he was careful but pointed. He noted that it was not Greece's place to decide where the US sells weapons, but stressed that the security concerns of all NATO members, including those facing a casus belli from a fellow alliance member, should be taken into account. The two leaders' core divide remains the delimitation of maritime zones in the Aegean, an issue that has stalled previous rounds of exploratory talks. Whether the proposed foreign ministers meeting actually takes place will be a key indicator of whether this summit produced anything beyond public statements. #Greece #Turkey #NATO