“It is a matter which Greece and Turkey will have to solve exclusively between themselves”, NATO General Secretary Jens Stoltenberg said in an interview to Turkish news agency Anadolu, referring to the arrest and detainment of the two Greek servicemen by Turkey.

The replacement of US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson by CIA Director Mike Pompeo appears to be a positive development for Greece and may not be in Turkey’s favour as the new US Secretary of State has repeatedly expressed the view that Turkey’s government was “a totalitarian Islamist dictatorship”.

Nevertheless, the NATO head, in an interview with the Turkish news agency Anadolou, showed no willingness to interfere with the issue of the two Greek soldiers arrested by Turkish forces in Evros.

“This is an issue that Greece and Turkey have to solve exclusively,” he said, while he did not hesitate to call Turkey a “precious ally of NATO”. “Turkey contributes to our collective security, missions and operations in many ways. I thank Turkey for this … The country’s concerns about its security are legitimate.”

Meanwhile, Turkey is scheduled expected to carry out real-life military exercises in the Aegean, in response to Greece’s “Inochoos” exercise. According to Turkish media, Greece has dangerously approached the Turkish coast

Especially the area west of Mytilene and south of Chios, which borders the Turkish port of Cesme and is very close to Ephesus of Smyrna. In return, the Turks announced that the military exercise would cover a sea radium stretching between Skyros – Psara – Euboea.