Greek and Turkish delegations meet in Athens

Delegations from Greece and Turkey were meeting in Athens on Monday as part of long-standing efforts to improve often tense relations, days after Turkey voiced objections over Greece's plans to create marine nature reserves in the Ionian and Aegean seas.

Monday's meeting in the Defense Ministry in Athens was to discuss confidence-building measures, following a similar meeting in Ankara last November. The two countries have engaged in the confidence-building process on and off for years, trying to seek common ground on a series of lower-key issues as a means of improving ties.

The meeting comes ahead of planned talks in Ankara on May 13 between Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis.

Tense ties have improved significantly over the past year, with Erdogan visiting Athens in December and signing a raft of trade, energy and...