A press release was issued by the Turkish Foreign Ministry stating ‘We reject the statements regarding the Aegean, Eastern Mediterranean and Cyprus issues, which are biased, unrealistic and contrary to the international law, in the joint declaration adopted at the Sixth Summit of the Southern European Union Countries (Med7) held in Malta on 14 June 2019 with the participation of France, Italy, Spain, Malta, Portugal, Greece and the Greek Cypriot Administration.’

The Turkish Foreign Ministry underlined in the press release that the statements reflect the maximalist national positions of the Greek Cypriot Administration and Greece, which are incompatible with both the United Nations principles for the settlement of the Cyprus issue and the international law and said ‘These statements do not have any value, meaning or effect for us.’

Stating that the declaration provides yet another regrettable example of how the Greek Cypriot Administration and Greece abuse their EU membership and how some of the members of the EU have become instruments of these acts, the Turkish Foreign Ministry emphasized that the current situation also clearly exposes the reason why the EU and the EU members cannot be regarded as impartial and reliable actors within the settlement of the Cyprus issue. The countries who have signed the said declaration in the context of the Cyprus issue should remember that not only the Greek Cypriots, but also the Turkish Cypriots are living on the island of Cyprus; realise that the Cyprus issue can only be resolved if the political equality of the Turkish Cypriots is ensured and the security needs of the Turkish Cypriots are met; and understand that the reason behind the failure of the settlement of the Cyprus issue for 56 years is the unwillingness of the Greek Cypriots to share the power and wealth. Moreover, they should acknowledge that the Turkish Cypriots have equal rights regarding the natural resources of the Island.