tigray. ♪ this is al jazeera these are your top stories. impeachment managers from the u.s. house of representatives have submitted the articles of impeachment against former president donald trump to the senate. he is been charged with inciting an insurrection of the u.s. capitol on january 6. the former president second impeachment trial will begin in february. the senate has confirmed janet yellen as treasury secretary, the first woman to hold the position. senators voted 84-15 to confirm yelling. she is the first person to hold the u.s. government.

the u.s. pharmaceutical company moderna says early tests show its covid-19 vaccine appears to work against new variants in the u.k. in south africa. more studies are needed to confirm the results and the findings have yet to be pper reviewed -- peer review. the british prime minister is considering hotel quarantine. >> we're looking at the data as it comes in. the rates of infection. as you know, the groups one to f our will be vaccinated by the 15th of february. before then, we will look at the potential of relaxing some measures. don't forget this country has made huge progress in reducing infection. i don't think people want to see another big surge in infection. kim: new zealand's first community coronavirus case in months was likely spread during quarantine by the south african variant.

a woman tested positive days after completing two weeks of mandatory isolation. australia has halted its travel -- with new zealand in response to the new case. anyone traveling in the next three days will not be able to skip the two recording. the new u.s. special climate envoy says the country's back to fighting climate change. johnk erry was one of the world leaders addressing a virtual summit on how to adapt to a warming planet. ugandan security forces are still surrounding the home of the country's most powerful opposition leader, hours after a court order them to leave. the high court directed the military to leave his residence. he has been under house arrest's since the election on the 14th of january. more news after inside story coming up next. bye-bye for now.

>> can diplomacy defuse tensions? this is "inside story." ♪ >> hello and welcome to the show. turkey and greece have been disputing their maritime boundaries for decades and last year the two nations came close to war when ankara deployed a survey vessel and contested

waters. after a suspension of the direct talks, the allies are back at the negotiating table. discussions to resolve the standoff in the eastern mediterranean kicked off on monday but they were preceded by disagreements over the agenda. athens wants to limit them to continental shelf orders and exclusive economic zones. but ankara says other issues including differences over aerial zones and some islands should be tackled. >> turkey and greece have opposite approaches when it comes to the limitation of the maritime borders. in the resumption of these exploratory talks that took place before, since 2002, comes at a time of mutual mistrust, and arms race, and rehhetoric. president erdogan said he would open his country's borders to the e.u. for the thousands of

migrants last year. and then last summer, he competed claims over the gas reserves. and sent a survey vessel to the eastern mediterranean close to greek territory waters. greece totally was against this but there is one thing in common -- both countries are going through a domestic political and economic slump. and turkey faces a possible u.s. sanctions because it purchased russian s-400 missile systems and the u.s. says it is a breach for turkey as a nato ally. two countries again come together to discuss the bilateral issues in the gnc. -- the aegean sea. many agree that those are seen as national sovereignty issues by those sites, they will never compromise on any of those issues but they want to show -- the united states and western countries that they are not avoiding any kind of a diplomatic dialogue.

also, many say that both turkey and greece are trying to gain time as turkey as tackle this problem with the united states of the european union and economy, and greece trying to raise his arms to buy new weapons from other countries. >> turkey iand greece however overlapping claims to gas rich waters in the eastern mediterranean. they each drew up exclusive economic zones with libya and egypt. greece says each of its islands is entitled to its own continental shelf with exclusive drilling rights. turkey disputes that. ankara also wants to ensure the turkish republic of cyprus has equal rights to gas fields. it is not international recognized as an independent state. last year, turkey stepped up drilling along the north coast of same person -- of cyprus angering greece which claims the

area. last week athens extended western territorial waters from six nautical miles to 12. that's around 22 kilometers. ankara poses that. -- opposes that. let's bring in our guest joining us from cyprus. he's the president of the cyprus center for european and international affairs. in rome, we have natalie -- the director of the institute of international affairs and a former advisor to the committee, the european union's foreign affairs chief. and in lodndon, we have a researcher at the university of oxford. welcome to you all. perhaps i can start with andreas, do you think this round of talks will succeed? >> well, i wish i could be

optimistic in that sense but if i take into consideration ankara's rhetoric and also the stated positions on various issues involving -- the relations as well as the cyprus question, i would be very hesitant to express optimism. let me say thtat the differences between the two countries -- >> before you do this let me ask this question. the fact that they have started talking, is that a success in itself? is it something of a success, from the turkish perspective which is this needs to be sorted out in bilateral talks? >> it's a positive stuff. i mean, negotiations and trying to find peaceful ways to address -- it's always welcome. i think, greece has also been positive to discussions. as it was mentioned previously, we have some issues of

procedure. greece indicates that it will be, two issues to be discussed are the continental shelf and the economic zone. ok? and any other issues should not be discussed. why do we have this? turgor t--took us officials have been revising the treating of lausanne. and this is not acceptable to greece. in the sense that greece indicates that it will not discuss -- the revisionist claims of turkey. if there are issues to be addressed, yes. but that treaty says there is no need to go back and try to find issues over the islands in the aegean and so on and so on. >> let's bring in the perspective in london. listening to what andreas is

explaining, i think it underlines the fact that turkey and greece have not really agreed, they may have agreed to start talking but what exactly to talk about is not entirely in agreement, right? >> well, i think let's first, we have to be clear. at this stage, we are talking about crisis management, not crisis solution. given the fact that -- the issue that turkey and greece are discussing are quite intractable. has been there as part of the route if it goes as far back as to the foundation of both states. we are talking about the crisis management. so it does not culminate in an incident or accident that will further, that will make the resolution of anything impossible. from this perspective, it is a positive sign they are talking because when the talk resumes,

that takes away the focus from the -- to the negotiation. at this stage, i think truth is essential for de-escalation. one of them is the moratorium. some type, hitting the stop button on the exploration is happening right now. turkey has not been sending -- into the contested waters for some time. secondly, it means that the talks, negotiations and this is like -- exploratory talks resuming today. the third one is in one way or another, if the turks -- the talks progresses, the crisis would be how to bring turkey into the east mediterranean, in one way or another. because it is the perception of turkey that it is being cut off from an emergency order in the eastern mediterranean. that motivates it to utilize

diplomacy -- >> let me confront you and let me jump in. that is a very interesting point you have mentioned. let me take that to natalie in rome. from the perspective of the european union, from your understanding, do you think the e.u. wants to see this problem resolved, resolved as and finally -- let turkey into the eastern mediterranean gas -- or is it just about ensuring that things don't boil over that is all the e.u. wants to see, let's not have a war and maybe have some attempt at curbing turkish power in the area. >> i mean, i think tying together what they are both saying, in an ideal world the european union would like to see these talks eventually lead to a resolution of not only --

greece-turkey issues that you were discussing but eventually that this will have positive spillover effects on the cyprus conflict onto the broader energy conundrum in the region. and perhaps having spillover effects, positive effects on issues such as libya. so, this is obviously in an ideal world. of course, and i share andreas's pessimism, we do not live in an ideal world. and, therefore, does the european union prefer the kind of -- conflict management situation which existed in the 2000's being spurred after the 1999 earthquakes. the dynamics we saw over the summer and the autumn. given that we do live in an imperfect world, it would obviously be better at the very least to have that conflict

management center to ensure that on the one hand turkey's assertive and times aggressive behavior is curbed and eventually the different forms of cooperation in the region, that we've been seeing, bilateral and multilateral, forms cooperation that will become more inclusive beginning with the energy portion. >> let's go back. let's put this in context for the viewers just first second and run us through the issues at stake. the issues that are disputed between turkey and greece. they range from the whole cyprus issue which i think most people know something about to some of the details of where the territorial waters end. where is the conteintal shelf end?

then there is ariel zones in space. it gets quite complicated. there is a lot another were to talk about. >> absolutely. we are talking about different settlements to the maritime districts, starting with the territorial waters but also turkey bringing to the table the -- the ownership of the several islands, which -- infringe on the sovereignty in the eastern mediterranean. it is the continental shelf. but also you have like the cyprus presence, which is basically poisoning the whole atmosphere of the relationship. and now on the top of this greek-turkish bilateral dispute have the energy explorations. that involves israel and the gas line and then cyprus and egypt. then prices in which turkey -- >> let me put this point to you.

from the greek perspective they say it would be a lot easier if only turkey would adhere to international law. whether it is to do with its presence in cyprus which the greeks see as an occupation. they should get out of there. or whether it is about territorial waters, recognize the law of the seas which gives countries the right to go to 12 miles. >> well, i think, in cyprus, critics says -- there was a process. there was voting on a this. there was a young resolution. and then the turkish side supported by the 65% and the greek side rejected by 75%. there was a process on cyprus, but when it comes to the international perspective on the , on the other side of the dispute, i think in the end, in one way or another we will end up in arbitration by the question is exactly what we

discussed at the beginning. what we take -- for. because there is a disagreement over what to take to the international court. because what one side described as dispute, the other side describes as sovereignty. as long as we have this gap between the both sides narrative, what is a dispute and what is a sovereignty issue, then taking the issue to the -- at this stage is quite unlikely. >> let me give a chance to andreas. why is athens resisting discussing all the issues ? surely put everything on the table. >> let me put it this way. i mean, turkish officials including erdogan himself have not concealed their objectives. they want,, they want turkey -- for that case, there is a record

of turkish expansionism. there is a record of revisionism. talking about cyprus. since that was mentioned. >> the history of the details -- my point is. why not talk about everything? >> let me put it this way. if greece also starts talking about everything, i thinks would -- things would be made worse. in this sense, you say not to talk about history. but, although we must be forward-looking, we cannot escape from history. and the record of it. talking about cyprus, when turkey invaded in 1974, it declared its objective was to reestablish constitutional order and protect the turkish community. in practice because -- it has occupied 37%. it has colonized cyprus to the

extent that the turkish cypriot are a minority. at this stage we are trying to colonize the city -- which was supposed to be in 1977. >> andreas, this is exactly what i'm trying to avoid, getting into the claims of ethnic cleansing and counterclaims and the history. let me put the question this way, andreas. if the two sides are going to decide where the territorial waters war, don't you have to resolve whose islands these are? the broader issues about the presence of, you know, of the makeup of cyprus in terms of political order. that would make it a lot easier to decide where the exclusive zones start and end, wouldn't i t? >> where the islands belong -- that'as very clear. if we expect treaties, that is

clear what should be discussed, what is disputed is a continental shelf. and an exclusive economic zone. there is international law. in addition to international law, when there are different interpretations, things can be discussed. in the case of cyprus and she brought it again, we cannot -- take provisions. would turkey --. cyprus is a country less than 10,000 square kilometers and turkey would like to have an exclusive constituent states. it wants to set quotas on who is that. where is that practice in turkey? both in athens, is that ankara would like a resolution that would turn cyprus into a protectorate. and also to the change the

democratic structure. the organization. these, unfortunately -- >> the point is clear. the lack of trust in turkish intentions and what the greek state - expansionism. if i can, let me give a chance to nathalie. it is clear for listening from the discussion there is not a lot of common ground and what the issues are. why have talks even begun at this point? what made them possible? they have been installed. was it a change in the u.s. administration? i think the change in the u.s. administration made a big difference because ultimately the last four years, under the trump administration, would be characterized by on the one h and, erratic u.s. behavior and

more importantly a profound disconnect between the european union and the united states. now all the regional -- begin ning with greece and turkey know that there is transatlantic -- and there will be coordination moving forward. this also creates completely different bilateralism. within nato. nato has been the prime after. the secretary-general has been a prime actor in ensuring that the talks resume. this broader international context makes the difference. obviously, they are the economic woes that turkey is in. obviously the threat of new sanctions. they are interests. particularly as far as the military -- is concerned and defense contracts in greece. there are incentives on both sides. perhaps not necessarily in reaching an agreement but certainly mitigating -- and

embarking on a d escalatory dynamic. >> i am assuming you probably want to come back at some of the historical points which andreas was mentioning there, but if ican try to give us the focus a little bit more on the now rather than the ancient history of this. why, is one way of looking at this is turkey being on the back foot feeling the heat from some of the factors that nathalie mentioned, closer transatlantic alliance or the e.u. sanctions. is that what is happening? >> certainly almost had quite significant impact. let's not forget one of the major reasons that led to the crisis in the eastern mediterranean was the systemic -- two things was important. one is the u.s. withdraw from the errors because historically when u.s. presence in turkey and greece, like we saw in the 1990's, the u..s would step in

to de-escalate the tension between two nato allies. the second one is the loss of the -- framework in turkish-greek relations. in the early 2000's you saw the honeymoon period in turkish-greek relations against the backdrop of turkey's quest to be a member of the european union. so, the disappearance of both of them has basically aggravated the crisis. now on the top of these factors, there are factors. one of them, this military posture in the eastern mediterranean. [indiscernible] in terms of advocating for the negotiation. then the most immediate factor

are, the change of the government in u.s., because now -- more conversions. >> turkey changing its position because of that? has withdrew the survey ship in december. was that one of the signs? the foreign minister called it a positive messages that turkey was sending. rather. was that really turkey changing its policy because it saw the global situation changing against it? >> it is changing its tactics. because the policy has not changed. all the -- the crisis that has been working with us are still with us. right now the only thing that is changing turkey is not -- contested waters. that is the only thing that has changed since the last time. so, i think if the talks resumed and progress, will not see the

ships going into the contested water anytime soon, but we should not exclude the fact that the ship might go in the contested waters if things get worse as well. on this, i will not overstate the importance of the change of the government in u.s. it certainly is important. >> we got a minute left and i will try to give it to andreas and ask the same kind of question but do you think that the changing global situation will strengthen the greek position in talks or involvement? it's believed it has a stronger position right now. >> the issue is that when we have negotiations, when we have negotiations at any point in time, the balance or imbalance of time, influences the outcome. so far turkey has been trying to use -- diplomacy. in cyprus and with greece to

push for his positions. i would say the european union has been tolerating turkey. since this impeded, it begins to show that turkish revision is destabilizing. in the case of the united states we had trump who also tolerated to a great extent president erdogan. the issue is whether the new u.s. administration will -- accordingly. finishing up my thoughts what you mentioned about ancient history, it is not ancient history. a few years ago. what has been taking place. the issue is i have no doubt in my mind that if turkey is to respect the territorial integrity and the right of existence of neighboring countries to exist, i think there can be cooperation in the

eastern mediterranean encouraged by the european union and the united states of america. if turkey maintains its revisionist attitudes and policies, i think the maximum that can be done by other powers is -- conflict management. >> thank you very much. let's try to end on hopes for de-escalation. let's thank our guests. and thank you, too, for watching. you can see the show any time by visiting aljazeera.com. you can head to facebook/aj inside story. you can join the conversation on twitter. @aj story. for now it is goodbye. ♪

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