Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Evangelos Venizelos visited Turkey, on November 29, ahead of the meeting of the Greek-Turkish Supreme Council of Cooperation, in Athens (December 5 - 6).

Following his meeting with the President of the Turkish Republic Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Istanbul, Venizelos stated that their discussion focused on the Cyprus issue; the presence of the research vessel Barbaros in the Cyprus’s Exclusive Economic Zone and the violation of the sovereign rights of the Republic of Cyprus. "I think that there are solutions in accordance with international law, which respect the rights of the Cyprus Republic, and which will allow the restart of the dialogue" between the two sides."

Venizelos added that Erdogan "understands very well that Greece is the stable and reliable neighbour of Turkey." Earlier in the day, Venizelos had met Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu in Ankara.

Before returning to Greece, Venizelos attended the divine liturgy at the Patriarchal Church of St. George in Phanar, Istanbul, on Sunday (11.30), on the occasion of Pope Francis' visiting the Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew.

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