Azerbaijan , Baku, Sept. 26 / Trend A. Isgandarov/
Greek Prime Minister George Papandreou called for calm over Cyprus in a phone conversation with Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan on Monday, a Greek government spokesman said, as regional tensions rise over oil exploration, Reuters reported.
"Two hours ago, the Prime Minister had a telephone conversation with Mr Erdogan," government spokesman Ilias Mosialos told reporters. "The Prime Minister said there should be self-constraint and calm" over Cyprus, Mosialos said.
Regional tension rose after Cyprus's Greek Cypriot government announced on Tuesday that drilling had begun in a southeast offshore area adjoining a gas field in Israeli waters reputed to be the world's largest find in the past decade.
Texas-based Noble Energy is carrying out the drilling in the Cypriot block. Speaking in New York on Thursday, Cypriot President Demetris Christofias said more blocks could be thrown open for exploration over the next 12 months.
Mosialos said the call focused on security issues related to Cyprus in general, but the two leaders did not discuss the oil drilling.
"The Prime Minister said unilateral actions that create problems in the region should be avoided," he said.