Turkey’s foreign ministry has slammed a joint statement by Greece, Cyprus and Egypt condemning Turkish actions in northern Cyprus and the eastern Mediterranean.
The ministry, in a statement Thursday, said it “fully rejected the declaration containing baseless accusations and allegations.”
Cypriot President Nicos Anastasiades, Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi and Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis urged Ankara to end its “provocative” actions in the eastern Mediterranean during a trilateral regional summit Wednesday in Nicosia.
The joint statement also asked Turkey to accept Cyprus’ invitation to enter negotiations for an agreement on maritime delimitations.
The Turkish foreign ministry said the declaration attacked Ankara rather than supporting peace and stability in the region.
It repeated Turkey’s position that cooperation could only take place with the inclusion of Turkish Cypriots in the war-divided island.
“We will continue with determination to protect our rights and the rights of Turkish Cypriots in the eastern Mediterranean.”
The summit took place amid high tensions between nominal NATO allies Greece and Turkey over maritime borders and energy rights, The Associated Press reported,
Greece and Cyprus have signed maritime border agreements with Egypt, while Turkey has signed a similar deal with Libya’s Tripoli-based government.
