Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu responded to criticisms regarding Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s on-the-fly dialogue with Greek Cypriot leader Nikos Anastasiades during the NATO Summit in Madrid.

Çavuşoğlu emphasized that these dialogues did not mean that they recognize the Greek Cypriot side.

Speaking during a live broadcast on NTV, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu said that it is not possible to avoid such interactions during such gatherings.

“It is not possible to run away just because there is someone you’re trying to avoid. Then let’s run away from the UN and not participate in EU meetings. This is a transatlantic dinner and it is unofficial” said Çavuşoğlu.

Recalling that the dinner organized by the host Spain was held at the level of the foreign ministers within the scope of the UN General Assembly, Çavuşoğlu said “We sometimes come across people from the Greek Cypriot side in unofficial environments. There are also times when they come and try to approach us. When they do, first of all, it is a humanitarian duty to say ‘hello’ to a person, common courtesy. The response our president gave is evident”.

Underlining that such dialogues did not mean recognising the Greek Cypriot side, Çavuşoğlu said, “When we meet within the framework of UN meetings, our President chats with Anastasiades, and when I meet with their Foreign Minister, we chat. Just because we have our differences and our problems does not mean we will never exchange greetings or chat with one another”.