Ankara
Turkey will take whatever belongs to it in the Mediterranean, as well as the Aegean and the Black Sea, said Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Wednesday. He was speaking at a ceremony marking a key Turkish military victory nearly a millennia ago.
“Turkey has no designs on any other country’s lands, sovereignty, or interests, but it will never make concessions on what rightfully belongs to it,” said Erdogan at an event marking the 949th anniversary of the Battle of Manzikert in Mus, eastern Turkey. Turkey urges everyone to avoid making missteps which could lead to their destruction, Erdogan added, speaking amid disputes with Greece on Turkey’s rights over maritime territory and energy resources.
Those unworthy of even the Byzantine heritage today commit injustices and piratical moves counting on the support of Europeans, which shows that they have failed to learn from history, Erdogan said. The comments follow Turkey’s major natural gas discovery in the Black Sea, and the ongoing conflict in the Eastern Mediterranean with Greece.—Anadolu Agency
