RUSSIA READY TO EASE TENSIONS IN GREEK-TURKISH CONFLICT

Russia’s foreign minister said Tuesday that Moscow is ready to help ease rising tensions over Turkey’s search for energy reserves in the Eastern Mediterranean and rejected any actions that could lead to further escalation.

Sergey Lavrov said Moscow is ready to step in and help start talks if asked by all the countries involved in the tense standoff.

“Russia considers as unacceptable any steps that could further escalate tensions,” Lavrov said after talks with Cypriot counterpart Nicos Christodoulides.

“We would be ready to contribute to building good neighborly relations in the event this is requested of us by those involved,” Lavrov said, adding that Moscow has repeatedly called on leaders in the region to “resolve these differences though dialogue and within a legal framework.”

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