Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu and visiting Greek Foreign Minister Evangelos Venizelos on Saturday called for the resumption of reunification talks which were suspended by Cyprus last month.

The Turkish and Greek foreign ministers made a joint statement at a press conference in the Turkish capital of Ankara. Cavusoglu said "It is our desire to find a solution for the people of both sides to protect their rights."

"We hope that the negotiations will start soon and a permanent solution on the island can be achieved," Cavusoglu reiterated Turkey's goodwill in negotiations.

For his part, Venizelos said that the talks between both sides should start immediately, adding that "We need to solve this problem for the development of relations between Turkey and Greece."

Venizelos said the international law constitutes the basis of the cooperation between the two countries.

Senior Turkish and Greek officials will meet in the third edition of the "High-Level Cooperation Council," which will take place in Athens on December 5 to 6.

Cyprus has remained divided since 1974, when Turkey invaded after a coup aiming to unite the island with Greece. Firstly resumed in 1980, the peace talks are suffering tensions and suspensions for many times.

The latest suspension last month is called by Cyplus after Turkey reportedly sent warships and a seismic data ship at the end of October to chart for natural gas in the region of the eastern Mediterranean claimed by Cyprus.

The Cypriot government, run exclusively by Greek Cypriots, is internationally recognized and represents the whole of the island in the European Union.