Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu spoke to the 11th ”Ambassadors Conference” in Ankara on Monday, where he presented a map depicting what Turkey considers to be the extent of its own continental shelf in the Mediterranean Sea.
The map Cavusoglu showed during his speech depicted the supposed boundaries of Turkey‘s continental shelf, which fantastically seemed to almost reach the Greek island of Crete.
Showing complete and utter disdain for the dictates of the Law of the Sea Convention, the Turkish official presented the entire sea area around Cyprus, south of the islands of Castellorizo and south and southwest of Rhodes, as ”Turkish.”
11. Büyükelçiler Konferansı kapsamında açıkladığımız yeni açılımlarla Girişimci ve İnsani dış politikamızı daha da güçlendireceğiz.
📌 Yeniden Asya
📌 Dijital DiplomasiTürkiye, eksenin ta kendisidir! 🇹🇷#SahadaveMasadaGüçlüDiplomasi #BKON2019 pic.twitter.com/gCNn7yJXF7
— Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu (@MevlutCavusoglu) August 5, 2019
Referring to Cyprus, Cavusoglu stated that Turkey will continue to defend the interests of Turkish Cypriots, declaring that ”we will not accept any action that does not include the interests of Turkey and the Turkish Cypriots in our continental shelf.”
The Turkish official also called for cooperation in the region on the basis of ”win-win,” so that, in his words, ”everyone can win.”
On his behalf, the Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias sent a direct message on Monday to anyone who is thinking of undermining Greece’s interests in the region.
Speaking after a meeting he held with the Minister of Defense Nikos Panagiotopoulos, Dendias noted that ”Greece has been traditionally holding an olive branch, but it also holds a sword.”
The Greek Minister obviously meant that while the country promotes peace and cooperation, it is ready to defend itself if needed.
The message was clearly referring to Turkey’s recent illegal activities in the Eastern Mediterranean, giving a stern warning to those who might intend to violate Greece’s rights in the region.
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