Foreign Minister Nikos Kotzias, who is visiting Turkey, met with the Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu, in Istanbul, on Monday (May 11).

In an hour-long meeting, the two officials discussed the initiation of exploratory talks on long-standing bilateral issues. In an interview with Turkish Public Television (TRT) ahead of the meeting, Kotzias noted that “we need to open the way to cooperation in the fields of culture and education. I think it is very much in the interest of Greece and Turkey to ensure stability and security in the region, particularly in the southeastern Mediterranean.”

Kotzias also met with His All Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew and reaffirmed Greece’s support for his initiative on the dialogue between the Christian churches and different faiths. Today, Kotzias is due in Ankara where he will meet his counterpart Mevlut Cavusoglu.