Greece welcomes deescalation in the eastern Mediterranean without directly referring to Turkey

NICOSIA, Cyprus (AP) — Greece’s newly appointed defense minister has welcomed a de-escalation of tensions in the eastern Mediterranean. Nikos Dendias expressed hope that this would lead to a “climate of trust” without directly referring to Turkey. But Nikos Dendias said Thursday after talks with his Cypriot counterpart that trust must be built on the United Nations charter and on respect for the rule of law on land and at sea with the “absolute condemnation for the threat of the use of force.” Dendias’ remarks were clearly referring to Turkey. But he didn’t mention the country by name ostensibly in hopes of encouraging Ankara to engage in dialogue with Athens and Cyprus on a host of issues that continue to be a source of friction between the neighbors.