Turkey, Greece to meet over Aegean disputes after one year

Diplomats from Turkey and Greece are set to resume discussions aimed at resolving the decades-long dispute over the official border between the two countries in the Aegean Sea, more than one year after the most recent talks. 

A statement from the Turkish Foreign Ministry announced the 59th round of "exploratory contacts" between the two countries would be hosted in Istanbul on Dec. 23. The meeting comes after high-level dialogue between the two countries' prime ministers, who agreed to resume talks.

The most recent exploratory contacts took place on Sept. 13, 2014, in Thessaloniki.

Talks began in the early 2000s to end the dispute between Athens and Ankara over territorial water, continental shelf and airspace boundaries over the Aegean Sea.

Turkey and Greece have improved their political and economic relations in recent years, but have not to found a formula to end the Aegean problem. The two countries even came to the brink of war in the mid-1990s over a disputed islet.

In Photos: US defense chief visits ?ncirlik base as part of tour to boost regional support against ISIL

In photos: Turkey commemorates Rumi with 'Night of Union' ceremony in Konya

Pictures released by the Armed Forces depict destruction in southeastern Sur amid clashes, curfew

In Photos: Ta?yaran Valley in Aegean region to become nature park

Halfeti - A town of mesmerizing beauty

Exhibition shows Istanbul through eyes of children

Secret weapons of Turkish army: locally produced rocket launchers, missile systems

The bugs of Ankara: The weirdest scenes that anyone can run into in Turkish capital

A bird's eye view tour of Turkey's eastern provinces of Van and Hakkari

Turkish man with four wives has his...