QA-67, 23 July 2020, Statement of the Spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Mr. Hami Aksoy, in Response to a Question Regarding the Statement of the President of France Emmanuel Macron at a Joint Press Conference with GCA Leader Anastasiades Concerning the Eastern Mediterranean

With every statement she has made and with every wrong step she has taken on the latest developments in the Eastern Mediterranean, France keeps losing impartiality and her chance to contribute to stability in the region.

With regard to Libya, France is expected to differentiate between the legitimate government recognized by the international community on the basis of UN resolutions and the aggressor who is trying to topple for over a year now this legitimate government by capturing the capital.

In this context, the statements of the French President carry no weight vis-a-vis Turkey. Turkey will not be threatened by anyone with a discourse of sanctions and this will yield no results. France should give up on delusions of grandeur and should instead pursue rational policies based on common sense. She should quit supporting putchists in Libya, terrorists in Syria and those who follow a line of being "the sole owners" in the Eastern Mediteranean, as she should have figured out by now that such policies have achieved nothing so far, nor will they from this point on.

Each step taken by Turkey in the Eastern Mediterranean aims to defend the legitimate rights and interests of Turkey and the Turkish Cypriots on the basis of international law.

Turkey, while reiterating on this occasion her calls for dialogue and cooperation towards peace, prosperity and stability in the region, will not hesitate to protect her rights stemming from international law.