WASHINGTON – The sovereignty and territorial integrity of all countries should be protected and respected, U.S. State Department press spokesperson Ned Price replied in a press briefing on Thursday, responding to a question from a Turkish correspondent regarding the Greek islands and what he claimed was their “militarisation”.

In response to the question, Price repeated Washington’s standing position in support of a de-escalation of tensions via a diplomatic route, while noting that sovereignty and territorial integrity should be respected and protected.

“Our position on this is the same one you heard a couple weeks ago, and the sovereignty and territory – territorial integrity – of all countries should be respected and protected. We continue to encourage our NATO Allies – Greece and Turkey in this case – to work together to maintain peace and security in the region and to resolve their differences diplomatically. We urge our allies to avoid rhetoric that could further raise tensions. Greece and Turkey, of course, are both strong partners. They’re key NATO Allies to the United States, and we will continue to urge both of them to de-escalate tensions,” he said.

Price had been asked to state the U.S. position on the “arming of islands just miles away from Turkey” and whether it “endorsed” the “militarisation of islands”.

(ANA/ P. Kasfikis)