Ankara accuses 5 countries of forming ‘alliance of evil’

Turkish Erdogan

Ankara has alleged five countries of creating “regional chaos” in the eastern Mediterranean, saying they are trying to  form the “alliance of evil”, Sputnik reported.

Turkish Foreign Ministry spokesman Hami Aksoy accused five countries, Greece, Cyprus, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt and France, of creating “regional chaos” in the eastern Mediterranean, while trying to form the “alliance of evil”, after the foreign ministers of these states jointly slammed Turkey’s activities in the region, Associated Press reported.

“We call on these countries to act in line with common sense, international laws and practices”, the spokesman said on Tuesday, as quoted by AP. “Peace and stability in the region can be established with sincere and genuine dialogue, not through alliances of evil”.

Aksoy also accused France of “patronising” the purported alliance, while slamming the UAE for “hostility” against Turkey and insisting that both Greece and Cyprus were undermining Ankara’s attempts to have a constructive dialogue.

The spokesman’s comments came following the teleconference between the foreign ministers of five states on Monday, during which they discussed Turkey’s drilling activities in the disputed offshore area near Cyprus, as well as its military activities in Libya.

Ankara does not recognise the government of the Republic of Cyprus and is the only state in the world to recognise the existence of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, following the island’s split in 1974.

Last year, it signed a deal on maritime boundaries in the Mediterranean Sea and agreement on military cooperation with the internationally-recognised and UN-backed Libyan government.

The border delineation agreement was deemed “illegal” by some nations, including Egypt, as Turkey moved forward with gas drilling activities in the disputed zone of eastern Mediterranean, something which is strongly objected to by Greece and Cyprus, as the latter argues that it has exclusive economic rights in the area.

(Sputnik) 

5 countries slam Turkey’s ‘illegal’ military intervention in Libya, movements in the Mediterranean

Five Nations comprising Egypt, Greece, Cyprus, France, and the United Arab Emirates in a joint statement have strongly condemned what they described as “Turkey’s military intervention in Libya” and Turkey’s ‘illegal’ movements in the Mediterranean.

According to the report, the foreign ministers of Egypt, Greece, Cyprus and France held on Monday the building of prior consultations and periodic coordination within the framework of the “3 + 1” formula, a remote meeting joined by their counterparts from the Emirates, to “discuss the latest developments of concern in the Eastern Mediterranean, in addition to a number of regional crises that threaten peace and stability in that region. ”

According to a joint statement issued after the meeting and published on the Egyptian Foreign Ministry website, They stressed that, “the strategic importance of strengthening and intensifying their political consultations, and praised the results of the Cairo meeting on January 8, 2020, to enhance security and stability in the Eastern Mediterranean, and expressed their deep concern over the current escalation and provocative moves.” Continuing in the Eastern Mediterranean. ”

The five ministers condemned the “illegal Turkish moves taking place in the exclusive economic zone of the Republic of Cyprus and its territorial waters, for the apparent violation of international law in accordance with the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea,” considering that it represented “the sixth attempt by Turkey, in less than a year, to conduct illegal excavations inside the maritime areas of Cyprus.”

The ministers also condemned “the escalation of violations by Turkey of the Greek airspace, including the flight over populated areas and territorial waters in violation of international law,” in addition to “the systematic exploitation of civilians by Turkey and the endeavor to push them towards crossing the Greek land and sea borders illegally.”

They demanded that Turkey “fully respect the sovereignty of all countries and their sovereign rights in their maritime areas in the eastern Mediterranean.”

They considered that the Memorandum of Understanding on the delineation of maritime borders in the Mediterranean and the Memorandum of Understanding on security and military cooperation between Ankara and Tripoli contravened international law and the arms embargo imposed by the United Nations on Libya, and also undermined regional stability.

The ministers also strongly condemned Turkish military intervention in Libya, and urged Turkey to fully respect the UN arms embargo and stop the flow of foreign fighters from Syria to Libya, as this poses a threat to the stability of neighboring countries in Africa as well as in Europe.

Cyprus treats first suspected case of coronavirus

Cyprus said it was treating its first suspected case of coronavirus after a man arrived from China showing signs of the illness.

A statement by the Mediterranean island's Ministry of Health said: "A Chinese citizen residing in Cyprus who had visited China in the past few days presented symptoms similar to that of the coronavirus."

Authorities in the European Union member state said all protocols were followed for dealing with coronavirus and the man was hospitalised in the capital Nicosia.

"The possibility of influenza A was ruled out after conducting the relevant examinations," the ministry said.

The ministry said it would "further investigate" the incident over the following days while the patient is kept in hospital for treatment.