Erdogan raises rhetoric in Greece standoff in Mediterranean

ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — Turkey’s president has warned Greece to enter talks over disputed eastern Mediterranean territorial claims or face the consequences.

Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Saturday that “they’re either going to understand the language of politics and diplomacy or they’re going to experience something painful in the field.”

Ankara is currently facing off against Greece and Cyprus over oil and gas exploration rights in the eastern Mediterranean. All sides have deployed naval and air forces to assert their competing claims in the region.

The president’s comments come after NATO said military officers from Greece and Turkey had begun technical discussions to reduce the risk of armed conflict or accidents.