UPDATE - Turkish, Greek military delegations begin NATO talks

UPDATES WITH DATE OF NEXT MEETING

By Sarp Ozer

ANKARA (AA) - A NATO technical meeting between Turkish and Greek military delegations began Tuesday at the alliance headquarters to discuss methods for reducing risks of incidents in the Eastern Mediterranean, according to Turkish Defense Ministry.

The talks were planned after a meeting between Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg.

An initial meeting had been held Sept. 10.

The next meeting is planned to be held on Sept. 17, the ministry said in a statement after the meeting ended.

Greece has disputed Turkey's current energy exploration activities in the Eastern Mediterranean, trying to box in Turkish maritime territory based on small islands near the Turkish coast.

Turkey, the country with the longest coastline in the Mediterranean, has sent out drill ships to explore for energy on its continental shelf, citing that Ankara and the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus have rights in the region.

Dialogue about fairly sharing resources will be a win-win for all sides, say Turkish officials.

* Writing by Seda Sevencan