All of Turkey’s activities in the Eastern Mediterranean – including military exercises – are in line with NATO regulations, the country’s foreign minister said on Tuesday.
“GREECE MADE IT CLEAR THAT IT IS NOT IN FAVOR OF DIALOGUE”
“Our drills [in the Eastern Mediterranean] are done within the framework of NATO rules,” Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu told reporters when asked about Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias’ claims that Turkey is carrying out “exercises with live ammunition.”
At a joint press conference with his Congolese counterpart Jean-Claude Gakosso, Çavuşoğlu decried Athens’ unwillingness to engage in dialogue to ease tensions, citing recent reconciliation initiatives by the EU and NATO.
“Greece made it clear that it is not in favor of dialogue by rejecting the recent [reconciliation] initiatives,” he said. He stressed the need to take a principled stance and act honestly, calling on Greece to come to the negotiation table.
Criticizing Athens trying to claim 40,000 square kilometers of maritime jurisdiction based on Meis – a 10 square kilometer island just 2 km from Antalya, Turkey but 580 km from the Greek mainland – Çavuşoğlu said: “What other country could make such an arrogant request? Nowhere else in the world will you find such a thing.”