Turkish, Greek defense minister meet amid renewed tensions

ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — Turkish officials say the Turkish and Greek defense ministers have met on the sidelines of a NATO meeting amid renewed tensions between the two neighbors. Their discussion on Thursday focused on the “importance of continuing the dialogue in order to reduce tensions,” according to Turkish officials. The meeting comes amid a new escalation in tensions between the NATO allies that have a history of disputes over a range of issues such as mineral exploration in the eastern Mediterranean and rival claims in the Aegean Sea. Last week, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan warned Greece to demilitarize islands in the Aegean, saying he was “not joking.”