All East Med manoeuvres conform to NATO criteria, insists Turkey’s PM

Turkey’s Prime Minister has insisted that all of his country’s naval manoeuvres in the Eastern Mediterranean conform to NATO criteria. Mevlut Cavusoglu made his comments during a joint press conference with Congolese Prime Minister John-Claude Gakosso at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Ankara.

Cavusoglu denied the claims of his Greek counterpart, Nikos Dendias, that Turkey has been firing live ammunition during the naval exercises.

“By rejecting the NATO and EU initiatives seeking an understanding,” he explained, “Greece appears not to choose dialogue. It should join us at the negotiating table for dialogue if it truly believes that it is in the right.”

READ: As Washington retreats, Eastern Mediterranean conflict further marginalises NATO