The Turkish Foreign Ministry has rejected the “baseless” allegations and accusations made against Turkey in a trilateral meeting between Greece, Egypt and the Greek Cypriot administration.
In a statement, the ministry said it rejects the memorandum issued after the trilateral summit was held in Greek Cyprus on Wednesday.
It noted that all of the statements issued by the trio; which claim to support peace, stability and cooperation in the Eastern Mediterranean; target Turkey and reveal the true intentions of the trio's leaders.
"The only real cooperation in the Eastern Mediterranean is possible with an inclusive stance that includes Turkish Cypriots and all countries sharing the coast," the ministry said, adding that the countries that create problems in the region cannot provide a solution to the conflict as long as they do not change their maximalist and hostile policies.
"We will continue to protect our rights and the Turkish Cypriots' rights with determination," the statement added.
Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi and Greek Cypriot leader Nikos Anastasiades held a trilateral meeting in Greek Cyprus on Wednesday.
Mitsotakis said they all agreed that Ankara was "blatantly" violating international law.
“I’ll say it again that in our (partnership) Turkey could also take part, no one excluded it from the start,” Mitsotakis added. “But more often than not, what marginalizes it are its own actions, unfortunately.”
"Turkey's leadership has fantasies of imperial behavior with aggressive behavior from Syria to Libya, Somalia to Cyprus, from the Aegean to the Caucasus," he said.
The EU should also take note of Turkey's "many violations" of the EU-Turkey customs union accord, Mitsotakis said.
"It is not possible for a state, a third state, a country which is a candidate for EU membership, to be exempt from (customs) duties, to reap the benefits of the common market but at the same time threaten the eastern borders of the European Union," he said.
The three leaders "condemned Turkey's actions in Varosha," an abandoned city also known as Maraş, which was recently partially opened to the public by the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC).
“It is a futile effort that third parties try to establish rules that are utterly inconceivable by overstepping their limit and expect them to be accepted,” Defense Minister Hulusi Akar on Thursday stated during an event of the military in capital Ankara's Polatlı district.
Reiterating that Kastellorizo (Megisti-Meis) “which is 580 kilometers (360 miles) to Greece and 10 square kilometers (3.86 square miles) big cannot have a maritime zone of 40,000 square kilometers,” Akar stated. “When we say no, we are accused of raising tensions and provocations in a chorus.” He added that Turkey invited its neighbors and other institutions to engage in dialogue.
Akar also stated that as a guarantor country, Turkey has fulfilled its responsibilities until today and will continue to do so. “The Cyprus issue is our national issue. If a political solution, a suitable atmosphere is desired, then you have to accept the existence of our Cypriot brothers,” he stressed.
