Türkiye has the right to carry out counterterror operations to protect its borders, Defense Minister Hulusi Akar said in a statement released Tuesday.

"In terms of international law and self-defense, it is the right of Türkiye to carry out operations for the security of our country and borders," Akar told reporters after a Cabinet meeting in the capital Ankara.

"We've so far done what's necessary in this regard, and we'll do it in the future. Whatever intervention is necessary, it'll be done when the time and place comes, regardless of who is behind the terrorist organizations. It is important for us to protect the rights and interests of our country, and we're determined to do so," he added, underlining that Türkiye exclusively targets terrorists.

On Monday, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said his government had extended Türkiye's "depth of operation" from Syria to Iraq.

"We are dealing the heaviest blows to the terrorist organization in the regions where they feel safest," he said.

Meanwhile, Russia's Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on Tuesday that an escalation of military action in Syria would be "unacceptable".

Speaking in Moscow at a press conference alongside his Syrian counterpart Faisal Mekdad, Lavrov said Russia and Syria were looking to negotiate with Türkiye to "prevent any new military action."

The PKK terrorist group's Syrian branch YPG controls large parts of northern Syria and is regarded by Washington as an important ally against Daesh despite its NATO ally Türkiye's major security concerns and warnings.

Erdoğan has recently said that Türkiye's plan for a new military operation in northern Syria will be on the table as long as the YPG continues to pose a security threat to his country.

In May, Erdoğan announced plans for a new military operation in Syria to drive away the YPG, an extension of the PKK terrorist group. The plans include resuming Turkish efforts to create a 30-kilometer (20-mile) safe zone along the border with Syria and enabling the voluntary return of Syrian refugees from Türkiye.

Türkiye has launched three major cross-border operations into Syria since 2016 and already controls some territories in the north. Turkish-backed operations in previous years have ousted YPG and Daesh terrorists from the northwestern enclave of Afrin and a series of border towns further east. Since 2016, Ankara has launched a trio of successful counterterrorism operations across its border in northern Syria to prevent the formation of a terror corridor and enable the peaceful settlement of residents: Euphrates Shield (2016), Olive Branch (2018) and Peace Spring (2019).

Erdoğan has said that since the United States and Russia have failed to live up to their commitments to provide a safe zone along the border region, Türkiye is ready to mount an operation to protect the nation and locals in northern Syria from the YPG. In October 2019, Russia committed to removing the terrorist group from Tal Rifaat and Manbij after reaching an agreement with Türkiye during Operation Peace Spring. Moscow also promised that the terrorists would be pulled back 30 kilometers from the border on the M4 highway and in the area outside the Operation Peace Spring zone.

Eastern Mediterranean

On whether Türkiye's fourth drillship had been harassed by Greek forces in the Eastern Mediterranean, where it began operations earlier this month, Akar said the ship Abdulhamid Han continued its drilling activities under the protection of a Turkish Naval Forces Command frigate.

"We hope they (Greece) don't do anything wrong. We maintain good neighborly relations by protecting the rights and interests of our country by using our own means and capabilities within the framework of international law," the minister said.

On July 17, the Abdulhamid Han started drilling activities in the Mediterranean.

The country discovered 540 billion cubic meters (19 trillion cubic feet) of natural gas in the Black Sea. Türkiye's other ships, the Fatih, Yavuz and Kanuni, are conducting drilling operations in the Black Sea.

Asked whether Türkiye was bothered by Egypt's recent joint military exercise with Greece, Akar told reporters that coming together in an exercise did not mean that the two countries were allies.

"We've done dozens of exercises in the last year, both national and multinational. So, exercises can be done, there's nothing wrong with that. If talks progress and relations reach a certain point, we may also conduct exercises with Egypt in the future," he added.

The defense chief also stressed the importance of protecting the rights and interests of countries. "Our hope is that the countries of the region live in peace," he said.

Türkiye and Greece are at odds over a number of issues, including competing claims over jurisdiction in the Eastern Mediterranean, air space, energy, the ethnically split island of Cyprus and the status of the islands in the Aegean Sea.

A dispute over drilling rights for potential oil and gas deposits in the Eastern Mediterranean led to a tense naval standoff in the summer of 2020. Greece has since embarked on a major military modernization program.

But the two countries also cooperate on energy projects, including a newly built pipeline that transports natural gas from Azerbaijan to Western Europe. The pipeline, which crosses Türkiye and Greece, is part of Europe's effort to reduce dependence on Russian energy.

Türkiye, which has the longest continental coastline in the Eastern Mediterranean, has rejected maritime boundary claims by Greece and the Greek Cypriot administration, stressing that their excessive claims violate the sovereign rights of Türkiye and the Turkish Cypriots.

Turkish leaders have repeatedly stressed that Ankara is in favor of resolving outstanding problems in the region through international law, good neighborly relations, dialogue and negotiations.

Officials from both countries resumed exploratory talks in 2021 after a five-year pause to lay the groundwork for formal negotiations to begin but haven’t made much progress.

Türkiye has ended the joint mechanism with Greece over the hostile remarks of Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis and the country’s inconsistent stance on dialogue efforts.