Ankara seeking wealth co-exploitation in Aegean
In the wake of his meeting on Thursday in Brussels with his Greek counterpart Nikos Panagiotopoulos, Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar reiterated Ankara’s talking points on Friday regarding the demilitarization of Aegean islands, while proposing the co-exploitation of wealth in the Aegean and Eastern Mediterranean.
“How many times have we said that we want to share wealth fairly in the Aegean, in the Mediterranean?” he said while also accusing Greece of provocations, noting that Athens and Ankara must resolve disputes without involving NATO and the EU.
“Unfortunately, some of the EU members are biased, unilateral and blindly pro-Greek, especially on Greek-Turkish issues,” he said, while again claiming Greece is violating the Treaties of Lausanne and Paris with the militarization of eastern Aegean islands.
During their meeting, Panagiotopoulos called for an end to Turkey’s incendiary rhetoric and aggressive stance.
