No European Union sanctions can change Turkey's stance on its rights in the Eastern Mediterranean, Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu said Monday.
"It is not possible to give up our rights and interests in the Eastern Mediterranean just because sanctions will come or because the EU will criticize us," Çavuşoğlu told lawmakers during the 2021 budget debates in Parliament.
Çavuşoğlu lauded Turkey's active foreign policy and said: "If no one can move counter to Turkey in Syria, Libya, the Eastern Mediterranean, the Caucasus, or Afghanistan, this is due to its active foreign policy."
Turkey will continue to stand by dialogue in its foreign policy, he said.
"We have worked to protect our country's interests, but at the same time we have always provided peace and justice on the ground," he added.
Turkey, which has the longest continental coastline in the Eastern Mediterranean, has rejected the maritime boundary claims made by Greece and the Greek Cypriot administration, stressing that these excessive claims violate the sovereign rights of both Turkey and the Turkish Cypriots.
Ankara has sent drillships in recent months to explore for energy resources in the Eastern Mediterranean, asserting its own rights in the region, as well as those of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC).
Turkish leaders have repeatedly stressed that Ankara is in favor of resolving all outstanding problems in the region through international law, good neighborly relations, dialogue and negotiation.
