“Turkey and Greece are our close friends and, of course, our NATO allies. Relations with these two countries are very important to us,” said US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken during his visit to Turkey, answering a question regarding Greek-Turkish relations, by NTV network journalist Deniz Kilislioglu.

“It was incredibly nice to see that the Greeks, as well as the Armenians and Israelis, are working together with the Turks to help people after the earthquake. And I would like to hope that if something positive can come out of this catastrophe, then perhaps it will be an improvement in relations with these countries,” the head of American diplomacy continued.

“I think Turkey has taken steps to try and improve relations. We support them very much. I look forward to the talks that I will have in Greece to see how we can be useful,” A. Blinken said a few hours before boarding the plane bound for Athens.

The US Secretary of State, in response to a question about the Greek-Turkish situation, urged the two countries to “make efforts to reduce any tension, as well as find a positive path that will lead them forward: to improve their relations.”

He also argued that the economic benefits of resolving Greek-Turkish disputes – such as disputes related to maritime zones – would be “tremendous”, especially for Turkey, which would thus be placed “at the very center of the conflict.” energy travel » Mediterranean.

“The financial benefits from this would be huge. The opportunities for Turkish business, for the Turkish economy, for the Turkish people will be enormous. So there is a real benefit in resolving these long-standing disputes, because this solution will create more opportunities for people,” the US Secretary of State emphasized.