Erdoğan: “Turkey will not allow blackmail and banditry in the Eastern Mediterranean”

Regarding the Eastern Mediterranean, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said: “Turkey will not allow blackmail and banditry and the issue has been understood by all the parties”.

Speaking at an event, Erdoğan stressed that Turkey will always defend the legitimate rights of Turkey and the TRNC arising from international law in the Eastern Mediterranean and he also added: “We will not allow some circles to confine our country, which has the longest coastline in the Mediterranean, to our shores. It is now clear to all the parties of the issue that the language of threats doesn’t work and Turkey will not yield to blackmail and banditry. It is of course an outcome of our country’s determined stance that diplomacy has been shown in recent days as the venue for a resolution to the issue.”

Stressing that Turkey has been stating since the beginning that the issue should be resolved through dialogue and negotiations, President Erdoğan said:

“We have always acted with the dignity of being right and a major state despite the other party’s provocations and childish behaviour. Turkey’s responsible and calm but also determined stance has played an important role in carrying the process to this level. We will continue to display the necessary maturity in the future as well. We will continue to work for the peace, serenity and stability of our region along with our country.”