Pompeo begins Greece talks to calm east Med tensions

ATHENS: US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo began talks on Monday in Greece to deescalate tension in the eastern Mediterranean and boost tentative steps at dialogue between Athens and Ankara.

Pompeo began his twoday visit by meeting Greek counterpart Nikos Dendias in Thessaloniki. Neither side has released a statement.

Ahead of the trip, a senior US official said Washington was keen to tamp down the tension, reduce the likelihood of “accidents or incidents” and for Greece and Turkey to complete an agreement.

The two NATO members are at loggerheads over energy exploration in disputed waters after Ankara stepped up hydrocarbon research in the sea.

The row has roped in other European powers, raising concern about a wider escalation.

But last week they said they were ready to start talks.

“Let’s meet, let’s talk and let’s seek a mutually acceptable solution. Let’s give diplomacy a chance,” Mitsotakis said on Friday to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, in an address to the virtual UN General Assembly.

Pompeo will fly to the Greek island of Crete on Tuesday and tour the NATO naval base of Souda Bay.

Mitsotakis -- who is hosting Pompeo at his family home -wants closer military ties with the US.

The secretary of state signed defence agreement last October allowing US forces a broader use of Greek military facilities.

A key element of the October deal was the northern Greek port of Alexandroupolis, a Balkans and Black Sea gateway of strategic value to the US navy and NATO.

The US has been granted priority status to the port after paying roughly $2.3 million (2 million euros) to remove a sunken dredging barge that had blocked part of the harbour since 2010.

At the time, Greek officials said the Pentagon was expected to invest over $14 million on the Greek airbase of Larissa and around six million euros at Marathi, part of the Souda base.

The visit to Thessaloniki is also intended as a sign to the Balkans on American willingness to invest in the region, the State Department said.

Pompeo will sign a bilateral science and technology agreement, and host an energy sector gathering of business leaders.

— AFP photo Pompeo (left) speaks with the Greek Energy Minister Kostis Hatzidakis during a meeting with the Federation of Northern Greek Industries in the northern city of Thessaloniki.