AKP spokesman warns Greece over East Med
Turkey’s ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) spokesman Omer Celik has warned Greece against testing the determination of the country’s navy while calling for a “fair solution” regarding energy exploration in the Eastern Mediterranean.
“We operate within the contours of [international] law and justice,” Celik was quoted as saying Tuesday after an AKP meeting headed by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
“However, if you are talking about abandoning the law and using real power, then I want to offer you a simple warning: You do not mess with the Turkish navy. If you mess with the Turkish navy, you are acting too big for your boots,” Celik said according to reports in the Greek media.
Speaking about a “fair solution” that would secure stability in the Eastern Mediterranean, Celik reportedly used the phrase “kazan-kazan” (Turkish for win-win), a term used to describe a situation in which each party benefits in some way.
Erdogan has previously used the term to refer to the prospect of co-exploiting hydrocarbon reserves in areas within Ankara’s sphere of interest.
