Turkey will take whatever belongs to it in the Mediterranean, as well as Aegean and the Black Sea, said Turkey’s president on Wednesday, speaking at a ceremony marking a key Turkish military victory nearly a millennia ago.
“THEY HAVE FAILED TO LEARN FROM HISTORY”
“Turkey has no designs on any other country’s lands, sovereignty, or interests, but it will never make concessions on what rightfully belongs to it,” said Recep Tayyip Erdoğan at an event marking the 949th anniversary of the Battle of Manzikert (Malazgirt) in Muş, eastern Turkey.
Turkey urges everyone to avoid making missteps which could lead to their destruction, Erdoğan added, speaking amid disputes with Greece on Turkey’s sovereign rights over maritime territory and energy resources.
“Those unworthy of even the Byzantine heritage today commit injustices and piratical moves counting on the support of Europeans, which shows that they have failed to learn from history,” Erdoğan said.
The ceremony Erdoğan spoke at commemorated the Aug. 26, 1071 victory of Selcuk Sultan Alp Arslan on the plain of Manzikert – present-day Mus, eastern Turkey – accelerating the decline of the Byzantine Empire and leading to more Turks settling in the region, paving the way for both the Ottoman Empire and the modern Republic of Turkey.