Greece and Turkey agree to start talking again

The 64th round of exploratory talks between Greece and Turkey will take place in Athens on February 22, the Greek Foreign Affairs Ministry announced on Saturday.

Meanwhile, Greek Foreign Affairs Minister Nikos Dendias in a  pre-recorded video message with which he addressed the 'Future of Europe' conference, held by Cyprus' 'Glafkos Clerides' Institute on Saturday noted that Turkey is moving away from Europe as a set of principles and values.

Instead, he added, Turkey "is promoting a completely different, deviant, neo-Ottoman agenda," he added.

"Its accession process, which Greece has bravely supported, has virtually stalled," he noted, but he did add that "there is a significant portion of Turkish society that still believes in European values, in the protection of human rights, and in women's rights."

In this context, said the Greek minister, "I reiterate my firm belief that our dispute with Turkey can be resolved."

However, "I do not think this outlook is visible today. Unfortunately, the opposite is probably the case," he pointed out, "but I insist that the implementation of principles, such as respect for International Law and International Law of the Sea, is the only avenue, the only course for the states of the Eastern Mediterranean region."