<p>ATHENS, Greece — Senior diplomats from Greece and Turkey are meeting in Athens on Tuesday in an effort to ease long-standing tensions between the two NATO members over disputed sea boundaries and related mineral rights.</p>
<p>The exploratory talks are aimed at leading to more formal negotiations following a five-year pause.</p>
<p>The tension between Greece and Turkey led to a dangerous military build-up in the eastern Mediterranean last year and also added strain to Ankara’s ties with the European Union.</p>
<p>The EU is currently preparing an evaluation report on its relationship with Turkey, but European officials say there have been signs of improvement in recent weeks. </p>
