Greece and Turkey have established a military mechanism aimed at preventing standoffs between their warships and military aircraft in the Eastern Mediterranean Sea from breaking out into open conflict, the NATO announced on Thursday.
Following a series of technical meetings between the Military Representatives of Greece and Turkey at NATO Headquarters in Brussels, a bilateral military de-confliction mechanism was established on Thursday (1 October 2020), the NATO statement said.
The mechanism is designed to reduce the risk of incidents and accidents in the Eastern Mediterranean. It includes the creation of a hotline between Greece and Turkey, to facilitate de-confliction at sea or in the air, it added.
The technical military de-confliction talks, which began in early September, were initiated by NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg after high-level contacts with both Greece and Turkey.
Stoltenberg posted on his Twitter account:
I welcome the establishment of a military de-confliction mechanism @NATO to reduce the risk of incidents & accidents in the #EastMed. This was achieved through the constructive engagement of Greece and Turkey. I remain in close contact with both Allies. https://t.co/yoxW04L0Cp
— Jens Stoltenberg (@jensstoltenberg) October 1, 2020
Military de-confliction between Allies is a role NATO has played before. In the 1990’s, NATO helped establish a similar mechanism in the region, which was effective in helping to reduce tensions and provide the space for broader diplomatic talks, the statement concluded.
