ATHENS – Greek Foreign Affairs Minister Nikos Dendias called on NATO to support dialogue with Russia, during a teleconference of the alliance’s Foreign Ministers on Friday, diplomatic sources said.

The diplomatic sources said that in his intervention, Dendias noted that Greece supports the dialogue and welcomes the NATO-Russia Council meeting convened on January 12 after a 2.5-year hiatus by the alliance’s Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg.

Dendias called for a de-escalation of tension and time, and said that the dialogue should include a reiteration on the need to respect International Law. “The basic principle is the condemnation of any violation of countries’ sovereign integrity, a principle that should be respected by NATO allies in all cases as well as by countries with a partnership agreement with NATO, especially Hungary, which calls for international solidarity,” he said. Dendias also noted that the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) could play a key role in reducing tension and in the efforts to control armaments.

According to a tweet on the ministry’s site, the focus of the NATO Foreign Ministers’ meeting was state of security in Europe after developments in Ukraine and ahead of the Jan. 12 meeting.