Greek and Turkish newspapers report of a trilateral meeting between Greece, Turkey and Germany.

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu told Hurriyet newspaper that the meeting took place following the Turkish court’s decision to reconvert Hagia Sophia from a museum to a mosque.

Greek newspaper Kathimerini reports that a meeting was held by the EU Foreign Affairs Council on Monday to keep channels of communication open between Greece and Turkey. Greece has described Turkey’s conversion of Hagia Sophia into a mosque as “unnecessary and petty” and has called for toughter EU sanctions over Ankara’s gas exploration activities in the Mediterranean.

In joint statements made by Cypriot President Nicos Anastasiades and Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis on Tuesday, the two men noted that Ankara’s stance was “outside the frame and international law”.

“Turkey’s provocations, which are many, are not just directed at our two countries, Greece and Cyprus, but also at Europe,” Mr Mitsotakis said, while noting that this behaviour came from a country that was formally a candidate for EU membership. “The issue needs a European response.”

READ MORE: Cyprus Archbishop says Hagia Sophia conversion shows Turks are “uncivilised” and Europeans only after their own “interests”

Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan made telephone contact with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday to discuss numerous issues, including the conversion of Hagia Sophia, which has also prompted public outcry in Russia. President Putin was assured that the monument would be open to all people once the conversion takes place and he also guaranteed the safety of items sacred to Christians.

The decision to annul the 1934 presidential decree for Hagia Sophia’s use as a museum came by a Turkish court on Friday. The structure was built as a Greek Orthodox cathedral in the 6th century and was used as a mosque following the 1453 sacking of Constantinople by the Ottoman army.