There will be dialogue with Turkey only if this country abandons its provocations in the Eastern Mediterranean, German Foreign Ministry spokesperson Christopher Burger said on Wednesday.

At the same time, German government spokesperson Ulrike Demmer has confirmed Chancellor Merkel’s telephone conversations on Tuesday with the Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis.

German Foreign Ministry spokesperson stressed, inter alia, that the international law must be respected adding that progress in EU-Turkey relations will only be possible if Turkey abandons its provocations in the Eastern Mediterranean.

Asked if he feared an escalation of tension or a hot incident in the Aegean, Christopher Burger said: “Of course we do not want any escalation. On the contrary, we want a prudent dialogue and progress in EU-Turkey relations. However, this is only possible if Turkey abandons provocations in the Eastern Mediterranean “.

Τhe Bild newspaper said in an article that Chancellor Merkel’s telephone conversations on Tuesday with the Turkish President and the Greek Prime Minister had prevented a “last minute” “war conflict between Greece and Turkey”.

According to Bild, after the phone call, the Turkish fleet changed its direction.