Jean-Yves Le Drian

Turkey's Foreign Ministry on Thursday said that a forum in Athens where the foreign ministers of Greece, Cyprus and Egypt met with counterparts and senior officials from several Persian Gulf countries, was "hostile."

Foreign ministers and senior officials from several Persian Gulf countries are meeting in Athens on Thursday, as Greece seeks to expand alliances to counter tension with regional rival Turkey.

The Kremlin on Jan. 24 accused the United States of interfering in Russia's domestic affairs and downplayed the scale of the weekend's protests when tens of thousands rallied in support of jailed opposition politician Alexei Navalny.

Foreign Minister Çavuşoğlu held a phone conversation with his French counterpart Jean-Yves Le Drian on Dec. 8 after a period of strained ties between two countries. They discussed regional issues and bilateral relations, the Turkish diplomatic sources said.

France's foreign minister told his Turkish counterpart on Tuesday that a renewed constructive relationship with the European Union could only happen if Ankara clarified its position on several subjects.

Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias and his French counterpart, Jean-Yves Le Drian, discussed the agenda of the upcoming Foreign Affairs and European councils over the phone Saturday.

Dendias tweeted that they focused on Turkey's illegal activities in the eastern Mediterranean.

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Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu has reiterated Turkey's call for dialogue in the eastern Mediterranean, suggesting the Eastern Mediterranean Conference as a way to resolve regional disputes.

France is leading a push for European Union sanctions on Turkey next month to follow through on a threat made by the bloc in October, but has yet to win support from EU governments beyond Greece and Cyprus, officials and diplomats said.

Amid escalating tensions with Turkey in the Eastern Mediterranean and the Aegean, Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias and his French counterpart Jean-Yves Le Drian discussed ways Monday to further enhance cooperation between Athens and Paris.

Developments in the Eastern Mediterranean, the coronation pandemic, attracting investment and migration were the main issues discussed in a meeting between Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias with French counterpart Jean-Yves le Drian in Paris on Monday.

The two ministers also discussed the European perspective of the Western Balkans.