Reaction from Turkey to the joint declaration issued following Egypt – Greek – Greek Cypriot Administration Summit

Foreign Ministry of the Republic of Turkey has reacted to the joint declaration issued following the Egypt – Greek – Greek Cypriot Administration Summit in a written statement as follows:

“The joint declaration, issued following the trilateral summit between Egypt, Greece, and the Greek Cypriot Administration held in Cairo on 8 October 2019, containing baseless claims against our country, has no meaning and value.

This declaration is the latest example of how the Greek/Greek Cypriot duo involves regional countries and incorporates them into their maximalist and intransigent national policies at the expense of international law.

Since the outset of the Cyprus issue, Turkey has exerted every effort in good faith and has put forward a strong political will for a comprehensive settlement. The party which rejected the Annan Plan in 2004 and who left the table at the Cyprus Conference in Crans-Montana in 2017 is known to everyone.

The Cyprus issue will remain unsettled as long as the Greek/Greek Cypriot duo’s mindset prevails which ignores the very existence of the Turkish Cypriots, denies their political equality and perceives them as a minority. This mindset is the core reason behind the failure of every negotiation process carried out over the last 5 decades.

On the other hand, Turkey exerts every effort towards the establishment of a mutually acceptable, durable and equitable regime within the framework of international law that upholds the legitimate rights and interests of all parties in all seas, including the Mediterranean.

The maximalist policies of Greek/Greek Cypriot duo, that disregards the principle of “equity” which is one of the most basic principles of international law and the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) in maritime boundary delimitation, has led to losses in the past in respect of Egypt’s interests regarding its maritime jurisdiction areas. Yet Egypt seems to have turned a blind eye to this abusive treatment by the Greek/Greek Cypriot duo.

Turkey will resolutely continue to protect its own rights and the rights of the Turkish Cypriots in the Eastern Mediterranean. Turkey is ready to talk to all countries in the region, except the GCA, for the delimitation of maritime jurisdiction areas in the Eastern Mediterranean in accordance with the principle of equity. The interlocutor of the Greek Cypriots are the Turkish Cypriots. The 13 July 2019 cooperation proposal of the Turkish Cypriots is an opportunity that should be seized in order to settle the Cypriot dimension of the hydrocarbons issue.

Furthermore, we also strongly reject the baseless and distorted claims against Turkey in the Syria part of the declaration. As the most affected country from Syria-based terror, Turkey has, as is the case in the past and in the future, demonstrated once again, with the operation initiated today, that it will not hesitate to take the measures required by its national security within its rights stemming from international law. It is far from credible for those have long been serving for the separatist agenda of the terrorist organization PYD/PKK to refer to the territorial integrity of Syria. Those who are rooting for the purpose of splitting Syria over the terrorist organizations must back down at once for the well-being and the union of the Syrian society.”