Senior Greek diplomats, military officials host talks with neighbor Turkey to lower tension

THESSALONIKI, Greece — Senior Greek and Turkish diplomats and military officials met in northern Greece on Monday as part of an effort to ease longstanding tension between the neighboring NATO allies.

The two countries remain at odds over maritime boundaries and energy exploration rights in the region.

Monday’s meeting was hosted by Greece’s Defense Ministry in the northern city of Thessaloniki to discuss confidence building measures – that include maintaining direct channels of communication, military visits and limitations on armed forces exercises.

The delegations were led by Haris Lalacos, former Greek ambassador to the United States, and Turkish Deputy Foreign Minister Mehmet Kemal Bozay.

The talks follow several meetings last year between Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, and an agreement to launch separate confidence building negotiations and a so-called positive agenda for closer economic cooperation.

The next round of talks will be held in Turkey.