Çavuşoğlu: We invite Greece to exploratory talks

"We call on Greece for the first meeting of exploratory talks in January," Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu stressed when speaking publicly in Ankara with the so-called foreign minister of the pseudo-state in occupied northern Cyprus.

At the same time, he referred to the status of Cyprus, but also to the eastern Mediterranean, reiterating the position of Turkey for two states on the island.

"We will not allow the slaughter of Turkish Cypriots," he said.

The call by Çavuşoğlu to start talks with Greece was reiterated by Turkish presidential spokesman, İbrahim Kalın.

Ankara hopes for good developments in relations with Greece," said Kalın in a televised interview with CNN Türk, according to Ethnos.

"Our president had a good telephone conversation with the president of the EU Commission. At the end of this month, two high-ranking EU officials will visit our country," Kalın said.

"As part of the preparatory process, our Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu, will travel to Brussels, where he will hold talks. There is a favorable ground for a positive atmosphere there," the spokesman said.

"I can say that exploratory discussions there will yield good results in the near future," he said.

"The issue of sanctions is behind us," he added.