Germany calls for end to east Mediterranean military drills

ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — Germany has called for an end to military drills in the eastern Mediterranean to defuse tensions and create conditions for NATO allies Greece and Turkey to resolve a dispute over offshore energy exploration rights. German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas’ comments Thursday came a day before EU foreign ministers were set to meet in Berlin to try and pull Greece and Turkey back from the brink of a conflict. The ministers are expected to debate a range of sanctions and other policy options that might convince Turkey to temper its insistence on drilling for energy reserves in disputed parts of the eastern Mediterranean.