ANKARA- Turkey and Egypt could negotiate a maritime demarcation agreement in the eastern Mediterranean if their ties, which have been strained, allow for such a move, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said on Wednesday.

Last month, Egypt announced the start of a bid round for oil and natural gas exploration and exploitation in 24 blocks including some in the Mediterranean.

Speaking at a news conference with his Georgian counterpart in Ankara, Cavusoglu said Egypt's exploration bids had respected Turkey's continental shelf and that Ankara viewed this positively.

(Reporting by Tuvan Gumrukcu and Ezgi Erkoyun; Editing by Dominic Evans) ((tuvan.gumrukcu@tr.com; +90 312 292 7021; @tuvangumrukcu; Reuters Messaging: tuvan.gumrukcu.thomsonreuters.com@reuters.net))