Turkey’s foreign minister: ‘No one has right to question Turkey's NATO membership’

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu has asserted that “no one has the right to question Turkey’s membership” in the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO).

Cavusoglu announced in a speech he delivered via Zoom, during the sixth edition of the Mediterranean Dialogues Forum organised by the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the International Institute for Political Studies (ISPI): “Turkey is a prominent ally of NATO, and it is among the first five state members that makes contributions to the organisation’s operations and budget.”

As for the situation in the Eastern Mediterranean, he pointed out: “Cyprus ignores the rights of Turkish Cypriots in the region since 2003 and carries out unilateral initiatives despite Turkey’s objections.”

Cavusoglu added: “Just a few years ago, landmark hydrocarbon resources were discovered in the region, and most of us believe that this discovery is an opportunity for everyone for cooperation and welfare.”

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The Turkish official continued: “We hope that the energy resources of the Eastern Mediterranean will be developed for the benefit of all parties, but some countries have acted in the opposite way.”

“Turkey’s doors are wide open for dialogue. There is a way out of the crisis, which is the Eastern Mediterranean Conference which constitutes an opportunity to create an environment conducive to cooperation, and this is our proposal,” affirmed Cavusoglu.

Cavusoglu indicated that his country’s representative will hold a meeting with the European Union Commission in Brussels in order to discuss ways to hold the conference.

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