Turkey’s multipronged diplomatic charm offensive to fend off EU sanctions and repair bruised ties with Egypt and Greece are shifting into high gear, with mixed results. 

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu announced Thursday that a delegation led by his deputy would travel to Egypt in early May at Cairo’s invitation, signaling a breakthrough in Ankara's recent efforts to mend ties with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi. Cavusoglu delivered the news before meeting with Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias together with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Dendias' visit, the first in two years by a senior Greek official, follows months of spiraling tensions between the two NATO allies over maritime boundaries and energy exploration rights in the Eastern Mediterranean. It’s the highest level visit by a Greek official in the past two years and came at Ankara’s request.

At a joint news conference, Cavusoglu said the ministers had agreed to meet in Geneva at the end of the month, presumably on the sidelines of UN-sponsored peace talks on Cyprus that are scheduled to be held in the Swiss city April 27-29. Dendias invited Cavusoglu to Athens, saying there was “significant scope for an improvement in bilateral ties” provided there is “a de-escalation of incendiary actions and comments.”

It didn’t take long for the minister to ignore his own advice. He lashed out at a maritime deal between Turkey and Libya and challenged Cavusoglu’s reference to Greece’s “Turkish minority,” snapping, “There’s only one minority and that is the Muslim minority.”