(ANA-MPA) -- Prime Minister George Papandreou met with visiting Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu on Wednesday on the sidelines of the 17th OSCE ministerial council in Athens, with both side citing closer cooperation in the bilateral, regional and international level as well as within the framework of the EU.

Alternate Foreign Minister Dimitris Droutsas also attended the meeting, which was reportedly held in an excellent atmosphere, while he later stated that the goal is to continue the cooperation established in the period of 1999-2004. 

Droutsas added that Papandreou's response to a high-profile letter, sent immediately after his Oct. 4 election victory, by Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, will be delivered shortly.

"We have agreed on cooperation by the two sides for the sake of mutual benefit as well as for the benefit of the entire SE Europe (region). This spirit of cooperation sends out a message that Greece and Turkey can work together. It's worth the effort. It is a message of peace," Droutsas stressed.

On the likelihood of a meeting between the two prime ministers, Droutsas said "it will be held when we'll be well-prepared and have something tangible to present."

The potential for the adoption of practical measures to boost cooperation of the foreign ministers of Greece and Turkey in 2010 was also considered in Wednesday's meeting.

According to the Greek alternate FM, the Turkish side spoke positively of the Papandreou's target for the EU integration of the western Balkans in 2014, while the Turkish FM confirmed Erdogan's intent for closer bilateral cooperation.

Regarding Greek-Turkish cooperation within the framework of the Union, the Greek side expressed support to Turkey's European course, adding that "we underlined that the obligations towards member-states should be implemented; the EU course should proceed and this will help in Greek-Turkish rapprochement."

Referring to the discussion made on the Cyprus issue, Droutsas said the "Greek Cypriots and the Turkish Cypriots should be able to negotiate freely and contribute in the most effective way in the continuation of the process." 

Referring to the practical support of Turkey's EU accession course, Droutsas said Greece is willing to offer technical support as it has done in the past with a joint working group.

The two sides also referred to the Balkans and PM Papandreou, who also holds the foreign ministry portfolio, had the opportunity to elaborate further on the "2014 Agenda". They also referred to cooperation within the framework of the global climate change issue as well as to regional cooperation in the Middle East. The Union for the Mediterranean was also mentioned as a new area for joint action. 

On a bilateral level, Droutsas underlined the need to promote the delineation of the continental shelf in the Aegean through exploratory contacts and expressed an expectation that the issue can be settled quickly through the International Court in The Hague, if necessary. 

The Turkish side expressed its intent to develop a multiple cooperation model with Greece in sectors such as transport, health, economic ties and environmental protection. "This is being considered, we are still in the beginning of this discussion," Droutsas pointed out.