ANKARA, Sept. 3 (Xinhua) -- Turkey on Thursday called on Greece to support a NATO-sponsored initiative aimed to launch technical talks between Athens and Ankara to calm tension in the Eastern Mediterranean.

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg has initiated an initiative to reduce the tension in the Eastern Mediterranean and prevent unwanted accidents, said the Turkish Foreign Ministry in a written statement.

"These de-confliction negotiations, which are not about the solution of bilateral issues between Greece and Turkey, are primarily related to bilateral arrangements previously discussed between the military authorities of the two countries," said the ministry statement.

"We expect Greece to support this initiative of the NATO Secretary-General," it added.

The ministry noted Ankara is ready for dialogue with Greece, without preconditions, in order to find permanent solutions to all issues between the two countries in the framework of international law.

Turkey and Greece have agreed to enter talks to establish "de-confliction mechanisms" in the Eastern Mediterranean, Stoltenberg announced earlier in the day.

Athens and Ankara have been at odds over hydrocarbon rights in the Eastern Mediterranean.

Turkey dispatched its seismic survey vessel, Oruc Reis, escorted by Turkish warships to the Eastern Mediterranean after Greece and Egypt signed a maritime border agreement on the region, while Greece, which has called on Turkey to withdraw its vessels from the area, also deployed warships to monitor Oruc Reis. Enditem

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