Turkey calls on Greece to 'stop using EU as leverage against Ankara'
Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu has called on Greece to "stop using the European Union as leverage" against Ankara. "The issues can be solved by Greece and Turkey, not the EU," Çavuşoğlu told Greek newspaper To Vima.
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Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu has called on Greece to "stop using the European Union as leverage" against Ankara during his visit to the country.
"Greece should refrain from using the EU as leverage against Turkey and seize the current positive environment. The issues waiting for solutions can only be solved by Greece and Turkey, not the EU," Çavuşoğlu told Greek newspaper To Vima on May 30.
Çavuşoğlu's visit to Greece comes as the NATO members seek to improve ties after a dispute last year that stoked regional tensions.
Tensions flared last year over a decades-old row over maritime jurisdiction and rights to offshore resources in the eastern Mediterranean. The two countries have since resumed bilateral talks to address the dispute.
Çavuşoğlu said that the two countries should prefer cooperation instead of conflict, while voicing content to being able to revive most of the dialogue channels.
Turning to Turkey's relations with the EU, Çavuşoğlu deemed Ankara's accession to the bloc "the most significant geopolitical investment that the EU can make for Europe and beyond."
On seismic research vessel Oruç Reis's activities, Çavuşoğlu said that it has been active in locations within Turkey's continental shelf.
"We are determined to protect the rights of Turkey and Turkish Cypriots in the face of the one-sided and maximalist claims of Greece and Greek Cypriots," he said.
The foreign minister reiterated Turkey's stance on finding a two-state solution in Cyprus.