Kotzias

Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Kotzias (l) and his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi exchange documents during a signing ceremony at the Diaoyutai State House in Beijing, China, Monday. [EPA]

Next month could prove pivotal for Greek-Turkish relations as a series of contentious issues are expected to come the fore, including the possibility of a resumption of the Cyprus peace talks and Ankara's plans to drill for gas in the Eastern Mediterranean.

This fall's planned trilateral summit in Jerusalem between Greece, Cyprus and Israel at the foreign ministry level has been brought forward to September 13.

The US ambassador to Greece has tweeted his congratulations to the Greek Foreign Ministry upon the release of two Greek soldiers freed after months of detention in a Turkish prison.

"Congratulations to all my colleagues at @GreeceMFA," the tweet from Geoffrey Pyatt read.

New Democracy's shadow foreign minister Giorgos Koumoutsakos took a dig Sunday over a tweet by the country's Foreign Minister Nikos Kotzias in which he outlined the principles of sound foreign policy-making.

"The absolutely fundamental, obvious and self-evident [elements] are presented as the definition of 'inspired' foreign policy," Koumoutsakos tweeted.

Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Kotzias took to social media on Sunday to hit out at his critics, saying that foreign policy requires "a spirit of resistance, not subservience."

"Foreign policy requires pragmatism [and] realism, not fear," Kotzias tweeted.

Jane Holl Lute, the special envoy of the UN Secretary General, wasted no time following a busy week by visiting Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu on Monday.

The visit was not announced ahead of time but it was made known after the fact by a post on Cavusoglu's Twitter account.

Turkey has offered to send firefighting aircraft to neighboring Greece after twin wildfires tore through areas near Athens.

Turkey's foreign minister said Turkish airplanes and helicopters are on standby to aid Greece.

Mevlut Cavusoglu said his Greek counterpart Nikos Kotzias thanked him for the offer but said assistance was not currently needed.

Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras is said to be planning a "corrective" reshuffle, as soon as early September, in a bid to send markets a positive message as Greece exits its bailouts and enters a pre-election period.

According to sources, the changes will be mainly cosmetic, with three key cabinet members expected to keep their jobs.

"Greece has decided to send a message to the East and the West, toward all its friends and others, that regardless of who is violating the principles national sovereignty and respect toward us, measures will be taken," Foreign Minister Nikos Kotzias said in an interview with the Athens-Macedonian News Agency (ANA-MPA) on Sunday.