Ankara issues threats ahead of dialogue

Just a week before the resumption of the 61st round of exploratory contacts between the two countries, Turkey's Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu accused Greece of "provocations" and "illegal militarization of islands," warning that "if Athens insists on not cooperating, then the responsibility for any tensions will be on its shoulders."

"Greece continues its provocations, takes steps that violate the demilitarization regime of the islands, constantly conducts military exercises or announces [navigational warnings] and then doesn't carry them out," he said during a joint news conference with German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas in Ankara.

Cavusoglu also reiterated Ankara's position that the issue of the Eastern Mediterranean and the maritime zones should not be the only issues up for discussion.

"There are issues with the Aegean, territorial waters, airspace,...