Greek PM says Athens 'ready to talk' with Ankara if tension eased
ATHENS-Anadolu Agency
Greek prime minister on Sept. 13 said he is ready to talk with the Turkish president if the tension between Greece and Turkey eased.
The return of Turkey's seismic exploration vessel, Oruç Reis, from the Mediterranean to the country's Antalya port is “a first positive step,” said Kyriakos Mitsotakis at a forum held in Thessaloniki city.
He said the beginning of exploratory talks depends on general approaches.
Amid tensions over the Mediterranean territory and energy exploration, Turkey has repeatedly stressed its willingness to enter negotiations without preconditions, in contrast to Greece's refusal in recent weeks to enter dialogue through both NATO or the EU.
Mitsotakis announced that they would replace the existing Mirage 2000 aircraft with 18 Rafale-type fighter jets from France.
He said the first order of French Rafale-type warplanes will arrive in mid-2021, while others will be delivered in early 2022.
The prime minister, however, claimed that Athens would not enter the "arms race and that mistakes in defense in the past will not be repeated."
