FM Davutoglu arriving in Greece today ahead of Papanreou's visit to Turkey

Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu is starting a two-day visit to Greece today at the invitation of his Greek counterpart Dimitris Droutsas in preparation for a June meeting of Ankara and Athens' high-level strategic cooperation council, attended by both countries' prime ministers. "We want to press the momentum of bilateral relations, which sped up after Prime Minister Erdogan's visit to Greece last year," said a Turkish Foreign Ministry official speaking on condition of anonymity. "The Cyprus dispute, Turkey's European Union process, and ongoing talks with the EU to facilitate visas for Turks will also be discussed during the visit." Davutoglu will also meet with Prime Minister George Papandreou and representatives of the main opposition New Democracy Party. "The request for the meeting came from the party," said the official. Davutoglu is also set to visit the Western Thracian cities of Xanthi (Iskece) and Komotini (Gumulcine) and meet with representatives of Greece's Turkish community and Muslim religious leaders there. Davutoglu's last stop will be Thessalonica, where he will meet with the city's new leadership and pay a customary visit to the house of the founder of the Turkish Republic, Mustafa Kemal Ataturk.