ΑΤΗΕΝS — A spirit of national solidarity prevailed at the National Council of Foreign Policy meeting, Foreign Affairs Minister Nikos Dendias said after a briefing with political parties on Greek-Turkish relations on held Friday.

"It's understandable that there are different approaches on certain issues," Dendias said of the meeting, "but it's obvious we all recognize the challenges our nation faces and we always act with national interests in mind."

He also thanked National Defense Minister Nikos Panagiotopoulos for attending and providing "his point of view on the issues."

The minister underlined that the most important recent development concerning the two countries' relations is his acceptance of Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu's invitation for a meeting in Ankara.

He referred to the 62nd round of exploratory contacts and the political consultations held in Athens earlier in the week, which he said served to "pick up the contacts again" and added that "my visit to Ankara will come as a continuation of these."

Dendias added that Greece is not afraid of dialogue with Turkey, because it will provide an opportunity to highlight the legality of Greece's positions.

In terms of the Cyprus issue, Greece has accepted an invitation to participate in the informal five-party meeting called by the UN Secretary General at the end of April in Geneva, he noted.