U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo urged NATO allies Greece and Turkey on Tuesday to continue talks on a maritime boundaries dispute as soon as possible.
Greece and Turkey, at loggerheads on a range of issues, have agreed to resume exploratory talks over contested maritime claims in the eastern Mediterranean following weeks of tensions but have not announced a date for the talks.
"We hope that these talks can continue in a serious way," Pompeo said after meeting Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis on the island of Crete.
Pompeo is on a two-day trip to Greece following an increase in regional tension over energy resources.
Athens and Ankara have agreed to resume the exploratory talks on maritime boundaries "in the future", with Istanbul the venue. The talks broke off in 2016 after 60 rounds that made little progress over 14 years.
"(We) encourage them to resume discussion of these issues as soon as possible," Pompeo said.
