Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said his country will not allow any moves east of the Mediterranean without being part of the coordination.
During a visit to Mersin city, south of Turkey, the minister responded to journalists' questions on Friday over the tripartite committee between Egypt, Cyprus and Greece and discussions over sharing energy sources east of the Mediterranean. He also commented on Cyprus being a Turkish protectorate as per international agreements.
Greece, Cyprus and Egypt met in the Cypriot Capital of Nicosia on Wednesday. The tripartite meeting resulted in the Nicosia declaration, which urged the boosting of cooperation among the three countries in the fields of economy, counter-terrorism, defense, security and border demarcation.
Meanwhile, former deputy foreign minister Hussein Haridy said remarks by the Turkish minister are emotional and have no legal base. “We have always declared that partnership is not against anyone. The tripartite meeting succeeded to entrench the strategic partnership with east Mediterranean countries. It was the fruit of diplomatic efforts that started in November,” he added.
Edited translation from Anadolu Agency and Al-Masry Al-Youm
