![Turkish-Cypriot Prime Minister Ersin Tatar (L) speaks during a press conference in the northern side of the divided Cypriot capital Nicosia, in the self-proclaimed Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC), on 14 October 2019. [BIROL BEBEK/AFP via Getty Images]](https://i0.wp.com/www.middleeastmonitor.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/GettyImages-1175974734.jpg?fit=1200%2C721&ssl=1)
The Prime Minister of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, Ersin Tatar, yesterday condemned the joint military manoeuvres between the Greek administration of Southern Cyprus, Greece, France and Italy scheduled to take place this week off the island’s coast.
In remarks to Anadolu, Tatar described the manoeuvres scheduled to begin yesterday and end tomorrow as “wrong and in violation of international law”, explaining that parties that have activities in the region cannot ignore the fact that his country and Turkey have a coastal strip on the Mediterranean.
“Where are Italy and France? How can they come here and demand rights and conduct military manoeuvres? Even Greece is 400 miles away from Cyprus,” he said.
Tatar accused some European countries of cooperating to weaken Turkey’s position in the ongoing conflict in the Eastern Mediterranean.
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