Akar: Turkey will protect its interests in the Aegean, East Med

Turkey is determined to protect its rights and interests in the Aegean and the eastern Mediterranean, Defense Minister Hulusi Akar said Tuesday, while accusing Greek politicians of being “divorced from reason and justice.”

In a thinly-disguised attack on Greece, Akar said that Turkey’s adversaries are seeking to muster international support against his country, adding that Ankara will never allow faits accomplis against its legitimate rights. 

“As we have done in the past, we are determined and able to protect our rights and our interests in the Aegean and the East Mediterranean, including Cyprus,” Akar said.

“Turkey is building its own missiles, its own helicopters, its own battleships. With the help of God, we will build our own fighter jet and our own armored vehicle… The genie is out of the bottle,” he said.

Akar also hit back at allegations from Athens that Ankara is pursuing an expansionist agenda, adding that “Greece is constantly provoking and threatening Turkey.”

Accusing Greek politicians of being “divorced from reason and justice,” he said that Turkey would continue efforts to turn the Aegean and the Mediterranean into “a sea of friendship for peace and stability,” based on “a fair distribution of wealth.”