Turkey and Greece said they are ready to resume talks to address their respective claims for hydrocarbon reserves in disputed Eastern Mediterranean waters today amid a Turkish stand-down in the face of EU threats of sanctions.

The statement came after Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan held virtual talks with German Chancellor Angela Merkel and European Union Council President Charles Michel. The European leaders have been mediating between Turkey and Greece amid worries that the standoff in the Eastern Mediterranean could escalate into a shooting war as both sides upped their military assets in the region.

In further signs of a thaw, Erdogan and his French counterpart, Emmanuel Macron, held a phone call today. The two leaders had been swapping insults until a few days ago over France’s intervention on the side of Greece and Cyprus in the Mediterranean spat. On Sept. 19, Macron extended an olive branch via Twitter. Writing in Turkish, he called for “responsible, sincere, and clear-eyed dialogue.” Erdogan responded on his own official feed that Turkey would “heed every sincere call” and push for a diplomatic solution that would be a win “for all.”

The Turkish presidency said in a readout of the call that Erdogan had noted tensions in the Eastern Mediterranean were caused by the disregard for Turkey and Turkish Cypriots' legitimate rights and that he could not understand France's support for Greece and Greek Cypriots' "maximalist positions." It added that Erdogan had relayed Turkey's desire to "discuss and resolve all problems at the table," and that he expected a "constructive approach" from France in this regard. There was no readout from the French presidency as Al-Monitor went to press.