Mevlüt

The European Union has frozen plans to blacklist more senior executives at Turkey's state-owned Turkish Petroleum Corporation (TPAO), four diplomats said, in the clearest sign that a diplomatic offensive by Ankara this year is bearing fruit.

The Turkish president on March 17 received the Kazakh foreign minister in the capital Ankara.

The meeting between President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and Kazakhstan's Mukhtar Tleuberdi was held behind closed doors at the presidential complex.

Earlier in the day, Tleuberdi, who is also a deputy prime minister, met with Turkish Vice President Fuat Oktay.

Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias will come to Ankara for talks on April 14 after a long period of tension between the two countries over the eastern Mediterranean, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu has said.

The European Union should "act sincerely and strategically and not repeat its previous mistakes" to make progress in EU-Turkey ties, Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu said on March 16.

Hailing "valuable and trusted friend" Turkey for its willingness to host peace talks, Afghanistan on March 14 said the meeting could prove to be a vital step forward in the quest for stability in the war-weary country.

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu and his Afghan counterpart Hanif Atmar spoke about the Afghan peace process over the phone on March 13, according to diplomatic sources.

The two discussed a meeting on the peace process set to be held in Istanbul on April, said the sources, who asked not to be named due to restrictions on speaking to the media.

Turkey and Egypt have started diplomatic-level contacts after years-long hiatus with disruption of relations in 2013, according to the Turkish foreign minister.

"We have contacts both at the level of intelligence and foreign ministries with Egypt. Diplomatic-level contacts have started," Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu said in an exclusive interview with Anadolu Agency and TRT.

Turkey's Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu and his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov met on March 10 in Qatar's capital Doha.

"Discussed w/FM Sergey #Lavrov of #RF [Russian Federation] our relations and recent developments in #NagornoKarabakh, #Libya & #Syria," Çavuşoğlu said on Twitter following the meeting.

The foreign ministers of Turkey, Russia and Qatar have expressed their determination in combatting terrorism and separatist moves in Syria in their first trilateral meeting devoted to the security, political and humanitarian problems of the war-torn country.

Turkey on March 7 opened a consulate general in the historical Samarkand city of Uzbekistan.

Turkey's Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu inaugurated the Turkish Consulate General in Samarkand.

Speaking at the inauguration ceremony, Çavuşoğlu said the consulate will be the new symbol of permanent fraternity with Turkey's fatherland Uzbekistan.