Foreign Minister Karin Kneissl is optimistic for having better ties with Turkey, especially after holding talks with her Turkish counterpart Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu.
In an interview published Tuesday in the German daily, Welt, Kneissl said that Turkey will allow Austrian archaeologists to resume excavation works in the ancient city of Ephesus.
"I am convinced that we will be able to achieve this by overcoming the deadlock in relations between Austria and Turkey," she said.
Turkey halted excavation works, which had been ongoing for more than 100 years, in October 2016 due to tensions between the two countries.
The ties between the two countries soured due to restrictions imposed by Austrian authorities on Turkish politicians who wanted to campaign in the country ahead of a key referendum in Turkey on April 16, 2017.
The relations improved when Kneissl paid a visit to Turkey this January. The two countries agreed to take some steps to normalize relations during Çavusoglu's visit to the country in March.
Kneissl added that Turkey should also be empathized with as the country has fallen victim to a number of terror attacks. "I do not want to gloss over anything, but despite all the criticism, you should also put yourself in Turkey's feet for five minutes," she said, referring to terrorist attacks the country has faced over the last few years.
Kneissl said that one should "not forget what several terrorist attacks, such as in Turkey, [can] do to a society," and added: "Despite this violence, people always manage to stand on their feet. I have a lot of respect for that."
