NATO has also organized contacts between Greek and Turkish military officials in hope of preventing the use of force in the disputed area of the eastern Mediterranean. Turkish defense officials said that a new round of NATO-facilitated contacts took place Tuesday. In recent days, both sides have expressed willingness to attend negotiations. “We must leave gunboat diplomacy aside and join a genuine dialogue within the framework of international law and with respect for good neighborly relations,″ Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias said. The two countries have sent warships as part of an armed forces buildup that has included multiple military exercises.
The European Union’s top foreign affairs official, Josep Borrell, said the bloc’s relations with Turkey were at a “watershed moment.”
“Tension has been continuing to rise over the summer. I have spent the last few months, including this summer, trying to facilitate the de-escalation efforts,” Borrell said in Brussels. “But the least I can say is that more efforts are needed — the softest way of saying that the situation has not been improving.”
However, he noted that the return of the research vessel to port was a step in the right direction.”
Domestically, Borrell said, Turkey “is seriously backsliding away from European Union values and reforms.” Specifically, he said, the country had not delivered on promises to strengthen the independence of the judiciary.
“We perceive a worrying backsliding in the area of rule of law and fundamental freedoms that continues to raise our concerns,” he said.
Raf Casert in Brussels and Zeynep Bilginsoy in Istanbul contributed.