The Turkish Foreign Ministry said that the European Union should call on Greece and Cyprus to exercise restraint in the eastern Mediterranean, not Ankara.
This came in the response of the Turkish Foreign Ministry spokesman, Hami Aksoy, on Thursday, to a statement by the European Union Council, published on Wednesday, on the current situation in the eastern Mediterranean.
Aksoy said that the statement of the Council of the European Union confirms once again that the Council is imprisoned by the directives and blackmail of the two-member states (Greece and Cyprus) of the Union.
“”The European Union must be objective and honest if it is to be part of a process aimed at peace, prosperity and stability in the eastern Mediterranean,” he added.
Aksoy stressed that “calls for restraint should not be directed to our country, which supports dialogue and cooperation, but to Greece and the administration of Roman Cyprus, to the main parties that exploit the solidarity of the European Union membership, harm the interests of the Union and escalate tension.”
He stressed that Turkey has, from the beginning, affirmed its keenness to observe good neighborliness and negotiate within the framework of international law in order to reach a permanent solution to the problems.
He added that Turkey will continue to respond to the positive steps without conceding its rights.
Greece continues to take unilateral steps with the Roman side of Cyprus and some countries in the region, with regard to the maritime jurisdiction areas in the eastern Mediterranean.
This coincides with the failure of these countries to deal positively with Turkey’s offer to negotiate on issues related to the eastern Mediterranean and the Aegean and achieve just solutions to the problems.
Turkey affirms its firm position regarding taking its measures against unilateral steps, and in this context, survey and exploration activities for oil and gas in the eastern Mediterranean are being carried out on its continental shelf and in the licensed areas of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus.
