US says it is not taking sides between Greece and Türkiye

The United States has not changed its security posture in the Aegean Sea, the American envoy to Türkiye has said, amid Ankara's growing criticism that Washington has broken the decades-old Turkish-Greek balance by arming the latter.

"I have been asked recently if there is a shift in U.S. security posture in the Aegean. The answer is no. Our security cooperation with our NATO allies Türkiye and Greece does not come from a position of partiality or imbalance towards any single partner," Ambassador Jeff Flake said on Twitter on Oct. 18.

Flake's statement came at a moment when Türkiye has been louder against the increasing nature of American-Greek military cooperation, including the deployment of armored military vehicles and other equipment to the Greek islands with demilitarized status. Türkiye has long been urging the U.S. not to break the balance in the Aegean and stop turning Greece into a major military hub through the establishment of new military bases.

Ambassador Flake underlined that the collective efforts should focus on ending the war staged by Russia against Ukraine, saying "Our defense cooperation with Greece strengthens NATO's eastern flank in support of Ukraine and of our NATO allies in Central and Eastern Europe. Our overriding objective, shared with our NATO allies Türkiye and Greece, is peace, security and stability throughout the region."

Kalın discuss ties with Sullivan

Ambassador Flake's statement followed a phone conversation between İbrahim Kalın, chief foreign policy advisor of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and U.S. National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan.

According to a statement by the Turkish Presidency, the call addressed the bilateral political and economic relations, the...

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