Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Friday that stability in Cyprus and the Eastern Mediterranean will come only by protecting the rights of Turkish Cypriots’.
Speaking in front of Ambassadors during an event organized by the ruling Justice and Development (AK) Party in Ankara, Erdogan said that ”Stability in Cyprus and the Eastern Mediterranean is only possible by taking care of the rights and interests of Turkey and the «Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus»”.
The «Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus» is the name Turkey uses to describe the illegally occupied lands of the Republic of Cyprus, the only internationally recognized legal entity on the island.
The Turkish President repeated Ankara’s unchanged position that Turkey will not accept any fait accompli in the region, referring to Nicosia’s actions to exploit the natural resources within its Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ).
On Friday, Omer Celik, the spokesman for Turkey’s ruling AKP party mentioned a recent statement of the President of Cyprus who said Turkey’s actions with its drilling vessel ”Fatih” inside the country’s EEZ are something like ” a second invasion of Turkey to Cyprus”.
Celik said that Anastasiades ”calls 1974 operation an invasion. But we call it protection of the Turkish Cypriot’s life, rights and interests,” adding that Turkey will protect the interests of the Turkish Cypriots.
It is noted that major players in the international community have sided solidly with Nicosia over the last week, accusing Turkey of increasing tensions in the Mediterranean.
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