US President Donald Trump has made comments on the latest agenda during a Fox News interview.
Trump said on Monday that Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is a “world class chess player.”
Trump also criticised presidential candidate Joe Biden about foreign policy on Monday, by calling Biden “mentally exhausted,” during a Fox News interview.
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Trump said he is “dealing with world class chess players” in these dialogues with world leaders, singling out Erdogan among the national leaders.
The White House said on Sunday Trump spoke with French President Emmanuel Macron, and said the leaders “agreed that Greece and Turkey must commit to dialogue, which is the only path to resolving their differences.”
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Eastern Mediterranean
Tensions have been mounting in the region after Athens’ controversial new maritime pact with Egypt. Greek defence sources announced joint military drills on Thursday in the eastern Mediterranean along with France, which has sought to hem in Turkey’s maritime territory.
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The exercise, which includes two French Rafale fighter jets, was conducted off the Greek island of Crete after France announced on Wednesday it would beef up military presence in the region.
On Saturday, it was announced that a 2017 defence cooperation agreement between the Greek Cypriot administration and France had entered into force August 1.
Fuat Oktay, Turkey’s vice president, slammed the joint exercises and underlying pact, saying they are “unacceptable under any circumstances.”
“It is essential for France not to seek adventure in Cyprus-related matters, and act much more responsibly,” he said.
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