Greece is ready for a dialogue to help dissolve tensions with Turkey over energy resources in the Eastern Mediterranean but the country will also defend its sovereign rights, its foreign minister said on Tuesday.

German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas stressed that growing tension between Greece and Turkey in the Eastern Mediterranean is like “playing with fire” and not in anyone’s interest.

Greece is calling on the European Commission to present “different options” on how Turkey can be sanctioned for violating Greek and Cypriot sovereign rights in the Eastern Mediterranean beyond punishing oil company officials, Deputy Foreign Minister Militiadis Varvitsiotis has told Politico.

A close associate and adviser to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Tuesday accused Greece of “undermining” efforts to ease tension between the two neighbors over East Mediterranean energy rights, just as German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas heads to Athens and Ankara in a bid to restart high-level diplomatic talks between the two neighbors.

The United States’ recent political withdrawal from many parts of the world is also affecting the likelihood of an American intervention in Greek-Turkish affairs.

“The windows for dialogue between Greece and Turkey must now be opened further and not closed,” German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said in an emailed statement before meeting Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis and his counterpart, Nikos Dendias, in Athens on Tuesday.

Athens will not engage in “any discussions” with Ankara as long as Turkey continues to maintain “military pressure” in the Aegean and Eastern Mediterranean, Greek Minister of State Giorgos Gerapetritis said on Tuesday in the wake of Monday’s comments by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas heads to Athens and Ankara on Tuesday in a bid to reopen the lines of communication between Greece and Turkey amid a fresh spike in tension between the two neighbors over drilling rights in the Eastern Mediterranean.

Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis (right) and his Bulgarian counterpart Boyko Borisov (left) attend the signing event in Athens for the participation of state-controlled company Bulgartransgaz in the liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminal in the port city of Alexandroupoli in northern Greece. Mitsotakis said the terminal will be a "source of wealth’ for the countries of the region and turn the city port into a ‘global energy hub." "The gas will be liquefied and will connect to the national natural gas network and from there it will be channeled at the end of 2022 or the beginning of 2023 to Greece, Bulgaria and the whole of Southeastern and Central Europe," he added. Borisov said the project will help both countries become major hubs and play a key role in energy distribution. [Orestis Panagiotou/EPA]

Just when it seemed that Greece and Turkey were entering a phase of de-escalation, the two countries appeared on Monday to be heading for another crisis in the Eastern Mediterranean.

Mounting tension between Greece and Turkey over surveys for gas and oil in the Eastern Mediterranean was reportedly the subject of a recent telephone conversation between Greek Defense Minister Nikos Panagiotopoulos and his British counterpart.

Germany’s mediatory effort between Athens and Ankara will continue this Tuesday with visits to Athens and Ankara by Foreign Minister Heiko Maas for contacts with his counterparts, in an effort to start anew the discussions between the two sides.

Turkey has extended its navigation advisory (NAVTEX) about “seismic surveys” for oil and natural gas in the Eastern Mediterranean, south of the island of Kastellorizo, until Thursday.

The debate has already begun on what a Joe Biden administration will mean for Greek interests. Everything points to an electoral loss for US President Donald Trump but no one should underestimate him.

German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas will visit Athens on Tuesday, August 25, for talks with his Greek counterpart Nikos Dendias. 

Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis and his Bulgarian counterpart Boyko Borisov are on Monday to attend a ceremony in Athens approving the participation of Bulgaria’s Bulgartransgaz in the Alexandroupolis liquefied natural gas terminal.

Diplomatic efforts are already under by Berlin to convince Athens and Ankara to restart the stalled exploratory negotiations on bilateral issues which froze after Greece signed a maritime border deal with Egypt, angering Turkey.

A decision by Turkish authorities to re-convert the Byzantine Greek Orthodox Church of the Holy Saviour in Chora into a mosque is “completely reprehensible,” the Greek Foreign Ministry said on Friday.

French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Angela Merkel  stressed that threats against the sovereignty of European Union member states are not acceptable during a meeting at Fort de Bregancon, in the south-east of France on Thursday. 

On August 11, former vice president Joe Biden announced California Senator Kamala Harris as his running mate. During the last weeks of the presidential campaign, both they and incumbent Donald Trump will seek to define the narrative surrounding their leadership.