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Merkel suggests Greece and Turkey came close to war

Merkel suggests Greece and Turkey came close to war

More than two months after Angela Merkel intervened to stave off a military confrontation between Greece and Turkey, the German chancellor on Wednesday referred to lingering tensions between the two Aegean neighbors.

“It’s hard to imagine how small the distance between military conflict and peaceful settlement can get in some cases,” Merkel told a session of the German lower house of parliament Bundestag ahead of the European Council meeting on October 1-2.

“Tensions with Greece and the Greek- Cypriot side are high, yet Turkey is a NATO partner. And it shows remarkable efforts in hosting refugees,” Merkel said, while criticizing Greece over recent developments at Moria camp on the island of Lesvos.

“We should balance our relations carefully and focus on cooperation,” she said, describing relations with Turkey as “multidimensional.”

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