Greek and Russian Foreign Ministers meet to discuss Greek–Turkish tensions and Turkey’s destabilizing role in the region

ATHENS — Amid increasing tensions between Turkey and Greece in the eastern Mediterranean and reports of Turkish involvement in the ongoing conflict between Armenian and Azerbaijan  including sending Syrian mercenaries to fight on the Azeri side — Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias and his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov held a press conference on Monday following talks in Athens.

During the press conference, Dendias expressed Greece’s concern about the negative role Turkey has been playing in Syria, where the successes reached in finding a solution to the Syrian crisis have been undermined by Turkish involvement.

“Unfortunately, in all regional developments, the common denominator is the destabilizing factor of Turkey. I have expressed my concern about the role of Turkey, which has become a travel agency for jihadists,” said the Greek Foreign Minister, who also raised the issue of Turkish military equipment with his Russian counterpart.

Lavrov pointed out that the positions of Russia and Turkey on various issues are not always aligned, despite the good relations between the two sides, and stressed that Moscow is determined to continue cooperation with Ankara to settle regional crises.

Lavrov also stressed that Russia is interested in resolving differences between Turkey and Greece in the Mediterranean through dialogue.