Video: Turkey slams Israel-Greece-Cyprus summit
Abdullateef Fowewe
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has issued a stern rebuke to the recent trilateral summit between Israel, Greece, and Cyprus, vowing that no agreements or photo ops would alter Turkey’s firm stance on regional rights.
Video: Turkey slams Israel-Greece-Cyprus summit
Speaking at an AKP meeting on Wednesday, Erdoğan emphasised Turkey’s balanced approach in disputed waters.
“Whether in the Eastern Mediterranean, the Aegean, or anywhere else, we neither usurp anyone’s rights nor allow our rights to be usurped,” he declared, directly addressing the summit’s implications.
He specifically defended Turkish Cypriots, stating, “We will not allow the Turkish Cypriots’ rights and interests to be seized. Agreements may be made, signatures can be issued. Various messages may also be conveyed through photo ops. None of them will bind us or change our policy.”
Erdoğan tied the remarks to broader tensions, criticising Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu: “More than 70,000 Palestinian brothers are in the hands of those who have blood on their hands. There is no difference, and it cannot be.”
He reaffirmed Turkey’s commitment to peace while rejecting provocation, acting in line with international law, bilateral agreements, and historical experiences.
The comments underscore ongoing frictions over maritime boundaries, energy resources, and Cyprus divisions in the Eastern Mediterranean.
