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“Ankara is not giving up its rights in the eastern Mediterranean,” Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar said on the occasion of the return of the research vessel Uruts Reyes to the southern coast of the country.
According to Turkish media, Akar said the return of the ship was part of his planned work and “will continue his investigations in the area, according to our plan.”
At the same time, the Turkish minister expressed strong displeasure at his visit. the President of the Republic Katerina Sakellaropoulou in Kastelorizo for the 77th anniversary of the island’s liberation, “as if there was no other island to celebrate,” he said. “It certainly bothers us,” she added.
According to Anadolu, Akar also called on Greece to stop its “provocative behavior” that is increasing tensions in the region and said that the Greeks should not be “distracted” by the initiatives of French President Emanuel Macron. At the same time, however, he called for a dialogue on the eastern Mediterranean “as soon as possible”, saying that Ankara wants to reach a political solution through peaceful means.
He also claimed that Greece is violating international treaties by militarizing 18 islands, which has increased tensions and sabotaged the dialogue.
Tsavousoglou: Unconditional dialogue
For his part, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoλουlu reiterated that Ankara is open to dialogue, but without conditions.
“If some people set conditions in Turkey, we also have conditions and these conditions must be met,” the Turkish minister said at an earlier press conference.
Tsavousoglou did not give any clarification, only repeated that, ideally, the talks should start unconditionally.
