Germany Rejects Greece's Request to Freeze Sale of 6 Submarines to Turkey

The Greek newspaper "Greek City Times", printed and circulated in Australia, said that  Germany's government had rejected Athens’s request to freeze the sale of Turkey’s 6 German-made submarines so as not to be used in “Turkish expansion” in the Aegean Sea and the eastern part of the Mediterranean Sea.

This German rejection of the Greek request came during a phone call between the defense ministers of the two countries about the latest developments in Greek-Turkish tensions and relations between Athens and Berlin, during which the Greek side received an explanation that the program to build the six submarines on behalf of Turkey is impossible to suspend or even delay.

The German company "Thyssen" that manufactures submarines signed a contract with Ankara in 2002.

On the other hand, Greece and Turkey have conducted "exploratory" talks, last week, with the aim of reducing the strong tension prevailing between them for months over disputes in the eastern Mediterranean Sea, as well as other thorny issues, in an attempt to reach agreements that serve stability in the region.

Last Wednesday, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said that the bilateral talks with Greece were held in a "positive atmosphere."

The Greek Foreign Ministry announced at the beginning of this month that the 61st round of exploratory talks between Greece and Turkey will be held on January 25 in Istanbul.

Cavusoglu also confirmed this announcement, saying that "a new round of exploratory talks with Greece will take place in Istanbul on the 25th of this month."

Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis stressed that his country seeks to establish fruitful relations with Turkey and to attend exploratory talks on the issue of disputed marine areas upon setting a date.

Diplomatic sources said on Monday that Turkey and Greece have resumed negotiations aimed at finding solutions to long-standing maritime disputes in the  Aegean Sea.

Such a move comes after months of tension in the eastern Mediterranean Sea on rights of exploring oil and natural gas there.

Seaa pision of an ocean or a large body of salt water partially enclosed by landMore (Definitions, Synonyms, Translation)