The fourth session of technical meetings between Turkish and Greek military delegations to discuss ways to reduce the risk of a clash between two countries amid rising tensions in the Eastern Mediterranean was held at the NATO headquarters in Brussels, the Turkish Defense Ministry said Thursday.

The technical talks were planned after a meeting between President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg earlier this month.

The third meeting was held Tuesday, following an initial meeting on Sept. 10.

After Thursday's meeting, the Defense Ministry made another statement and said the fifth round of technical talks would be held next week.

Greece has disputed Turkey's current energy exploration activities in the Eastern Mediterranean, trying to box in Turkish maritime territory based on small islands near the Turkish coast.

Turkey, the country with the longest coastline in the Eastern Mediterranean, has sent out drillships to explore for energy on its continental shelf, asserting the rights of Ankara and the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) in the region.

Dialogue about fairly sharing resources will be a win-win for all sides, Turkish officials say.