Greece and Turkey will explore whether they can start talks aimed at demarcating their maritime zones, Reuters reported on Wednesday, citing the Greek Foreign Ministry.
Neighbors Greece and Turkey, both NATO allies but historic foes, have been at odds for decades over a range of issues from airspace to maritime jurisdiction in the eastern Mediterranean and ethnically split Cyprus.
An agreement on where their maritime zones begin and end is important for determining rights over possible gas reserves and power infrastructure schemes.
Tensions have eased in recent years, and the countries agreed last year to reboot their relations, pledging to keep open channels of communication and work on the issues that have kept them apart.
Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis and Turkish President Tayyip Erdoğan met on the sidelines of the annual United Nations General Assembly in New York on Tuesday and discussed bilateral ties, according to statements from the Turkish presidency and the Greek Foreign Ministry.
“The two leaders tasked the foreign ministers to explore whether conditions are favorable to initiate discussions on the demarcation of the continental shelf and exclusive economic zone,” Greek Foreign Minister George Gerapetritis said.