U.S. President Donald Trump and French President Emmanuel Macron “expressed concern over increased tension between NATO Allies Greece and Turkey” during a call late on Friday, a White House spokesman said.
NATO allies Turkey and Greece are embroiled in a dispute over Turkish oil and gas exploration in disputed – by Ankara only – eastern Mediterranean waters threatening the territorial integrity of Athens.
Turkey said on Friday France should refrain from steps that escalate tensions after the French military conducted training exercises with Greek forces in the region on Thursday.
The Greek-Turkish dispute was one of the subjects discussed in a call on Friday between Macron and U.S. President Donald Trump, the White House said, and the two leaders “expressed concern over increased tension between NATO Allies Greece and Turkey”.