Presidential aide urges US to be ‘fair and impartial’ on east Med

ANKARA

Turkey’s Presidential Spokesperson İbrahim Kalın and the U.S. National Security Advisor Robert O’Brien discussed bilateral ties, Armenian attacks on Azerbaijan and developments in the eastern Mediterranean over the phone on Oct. 13.

Kalın reiterated Turkey’s expectation for the U.S. to take a “fair and impartial stance” on the eastern Mediterranean issue, the presidential office said.

According to a statement by the presidential office, Kalın told the U.S. advisor that holding a conference on the eastern Mediterranean is important. He also noted that Turkey’s good intentions and dialogue-based approach has reduced the tensions in the eastern Mediterranean.

A permanent solution can only be achieved through Armenia’s withdrawal from the occupied Azerbaijani territory of Upper Karabakh and its surroundings, Kalın told his counterpart, noting that the international community should take concrete steps to ensure the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan under the decisions of the U.N. Security Council and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe.

The conversation came after U.S. State Department Spokesperson Morgan Ortagus who described Turkey’s survey activity in the eastern Mediterranean as a “provocation.”

“We urge Turkey to end this calculated provocation and immediately begin exploratory talks with Greece,” Ortagus said on Oct. 13.