Greek, Turkish officials start consultations in Athens

Delegations from the foreign ministries of Greece and Turkey will meet in the Greek capital Friday for political consultations as part of the effort launched by Athens and Ankara to de-escalate tensions in the Aegean Sea and promote bilateral relations.

The two delegations - led by the Greek Foreign Ministry's General Secretary Dimitris Paraskevopoulos and Turkey's Deputy Foreign Minister Sedat Onal - will pick up where they left off almost 18 months ago.

In addition to discussions concerning the situation in the Aegean where Greece claims Turkish airspace violations and overflights have spiked in recent months, the agenda also includes talks about the Cyprus dispute, as well as regional and international issues.

The talks, however, will not include confidence building measures as that is the purview of the military authorities in both countries.