ANKARA, Oct. 8 (Xinhua) -- Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said he met with his Greek counterpart Nikos Dendias on Thursday and they agreed to set dates for the start of a new round of exploratory talks of confidence-building between Ankara and Athens.

"We will determine dates of Exploratory Talks and meetings for Confidence Building Measures in the coming days," he tweeted after a brief meeting with Greek minister, which was the first after months of tension in the Eastern Mediterranean.

The meeting came on the sidelines of a security forum in Slovakia's capital Bratislava.

"I told him that we should continue the dialogue even in the most difficult days," Cavusoglu later told reporters in Bratislava.

Ties between Turkey and Greece were strained over territorial claims in the Eastern Mediterranean where Turkey sent drillship to survey hydrocarbon reserves. Parties later have taken steps to calm down the tension.