Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that those who ignore his country in the eastern Mediterranean tend to negotiate, while today separate meetings are taking place between Erdogan and the Europeans, as well as between the Turkish and Greek sides.
Erdogan added in a press conference held on Monday that Turkey does not encroach on the rights and dignity of anyone, stressing that it only wants its rights and gains to be respected.
He stressed that those seeking to destabilize our region and the world due to their hostility to Turkey are preparing their end in their own hands, stressing that we will continue working on the basis of an approach to protecting the health of the people from the Corona epidemic and building their future.
And he added, "We will not allow anyone to prevent our country from taking the place it deserves in a world that will be shaped politically and economically after the epidemic."
He also stressed that no concessions were made regarding efforts to transform Turkey into a regional and global power within the framework of the 2023 goals, noting that the large economic size of the discovery of gas reserves in the Black Sea gave hope to the Turkish people.
Erdogan said that there are strong signs of a revival of the Turkish economy in the third quarter of this year, after a partial contraction in the second quarter.
Diplomatic moves
Sources in the European Council said that Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan will hold a video conference today with German Chancellor Angela Merkel and European Council President Charles Michel.
The sources added that the meeting will discuss relations between Turkey and the European Union, in addition to discussing the developments of the crisis in the eastern Mediterranean.
For his part, Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar said that the Turkish military delegation will hold the fifth meeting today, Tuesday, with its Greek counterpart at the headquarters of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), within the framework of the meetings to discuss methods of resolving the conflict between the two countries.
He added that Turkey supports peace, stability, negotiations and dialogue, but it will never allow a fait accompli and it is able to protect its interests.
On the other hand, Greek government spokesman Stilos Bastas said that the current atmosphere of dialogue between Greece and Turkey is positive, and may soon lead to the start of exploratory negotiations.
"We are close to resuming the exploratory talks, but the exact date for that depends on both parties, Greece and Turkey. The feelings are good," Petsas told reporters.
Previous discussions between Athens and Ankara over demarcating maritime zones collapsed in 2016. Greek media said talks could start as soon as this week.
On Monday, Petsas stated that Turkey stands before two options, "either to stop the escalation completely, or to face sanctions," referring to what might come out of a European summit to be held within days during which the Europeans will discuss the sanctions that could be imposed on Turkey, although the member states are divided on how to proceed. ahead.
This month, Ankara withdrew a ship for oil and gas exploration from a disputed area in the Mediterranean to submit to what Turkey described as regular maintenance work, but this step was welcomed by Athens.
And US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said that his country is "deeply concerned" about Turkey's moves in the eastern Mediterranean region, and called for a diplomatic solution to the crisis.