Libya

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg has welcomed the continuation of NATO-brokered talks between Turkey and Greece on a military deconfliction mechanism in the Eastern Mediterranean, as well as the resumption on Monday of exploratory contacts between the two Aegean neighbors in Istanbul.

Turkey and the European Union must take concrete steps in order to maintain a recent positive atmosphere between them, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said on Thursday, adding there was political will on both sides for a positive agenda.

The understanding between the Greek and Turkish Ministries of Foreign Affairs is that the diplomatic missions will discuss on January 25 the point where exploratory contacts ended in 2016 and the issues that may have been added to the agenda of each country.

Turkey wants to improve relations with the European Union by setting a positive agenda with the bloc while hoping for the same approach from the EU as well, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said on Jan. 12.

The gesture makes Maradona the latest in a long list of global celebrities and political figures to be honored with an obituary in the Balkans, following the likes of Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi, Cuban revolutionary Fidel Castro, pop star Michael Jackson and actor James Gandolfini, late star of the popular US crime drama Sopranos.

The Turkish defense minister and his Libyan counterpart met in Istanbul on Jan.10 to discuss bilateral cooperation.

Turkey is pleased to see the safe return home of four Ukrainian sailors from Libya, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said on Jan. 9.

"My treasured friend @ZelenskyyUa [Volodymyr Zelensky], we are pleased that Ukrainian sailors have returned home safe and sound," he said in reply to the Ukrainian president's Friday tweet thanking the Turkish leader.

Turkey and France are working on a roadmap to normalize ties and talks are going well, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said on Thursday, adding Ankara was ready to improve ties with its NATO ally if Paris showed the same willingness.

The top Turkish and Russian diplomats met on Dec. 29 to discuss international issues and help prepare for a meeting of the two countries' presidents.

Turkey and Russia will carry out a comprehensive review of their bilateral relationship and regional cooperation in the Syrian, Libyan and Nagorno-Karabakh theaters and will plan 2021-2022 diplomatic consultations, including the next Turkish-Russian high-level cooperation council at the presidential level.