UPDATE - Ankara to keep defending Turkey's, Turkish Cypriots' rights in E.Med

UPDATES WITH MORE REMARKS BY TURKISH FOREIGN MINISTER

By Nazli Yuzbasioglu

ANKARA/WARSAW (AA) - Turkey underlined on Monday that it would continue defending its rights, as well as those of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC).

"We defend our rights and the rights of the Turkish Cypriots all the way. We'll also do what's necessary when there's action that will harm these rights," Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said at joint press conference with his Polish counterpart Zbigniew Rau in Poland's capital Warsaw.

Underlining that Turkey supports the establishment of a mechanism to equitably share the wealth around the island, Cavusoglu said he hoped Poland's President Andrzej Duda would "listen to both sides" there and give "friendly advice" during an upcoming visit.

He stressed that the reason for the current tensions in the Eastern Mediterranean region was the maximalist postures of Greece and the Greek Cypriot administration, he said, adding that Turkey always prioritizes diplomacy.

"Recently, unfortunately, there have been some provocative actions from Greece and the Greek Cypriot side. Their ships are trying to enter our continental shelf," he said, adding that Turkey was taking the necessary steps in the face of this.

Cavusoglu also noted Ankara's proposal for a regional conference to bring countries of the Mediterranean region together, though he said the EU is yet to respond.

Additionally, Cavusoglu thanked his counterpart on Twitter for his hospitality.

"Developing our relations in every field. Getting closer to $10 billion trade target. Will increase cooperation against irregular migration. Signed a cooperation agreement between our diplomacy academies," he said.

- Poland strategic partner, ally of Turkey

"We have had relations with Poland for more than six centuries. As a strategic partner and ally, we are developing our cooperation in every field," said Cavusoglu, adding that relations have been improving between the two countries, especially over the last year and even in the last six months.

"We are open to joint production, investment, and all kinds of cooperation in every field, including the defense industry. We believe that we should cooperate more closely in all fields, including technology sharing," he said.

Underlining that Turkey's cooperation with Poland in NATO has been exemplary, he noted that Turkish F-16 aircraft have been deployed at the Malbork base as part of NATO's air policing activity.

On economic relations, he said the volume of bilateral trade last year was $6.5 billion. "We believe that we will exceed $8 billion as of this year," he said, adding that they were "very close" to their $10 billion target.

Stressing that trade needed to be balanced to make it sustainable, he also said they attached importance to increasing mutual investments.

"We will continue to encourage investments. We have learned once again from our friends that Turkish companies have implemented projects worth $4.1 billion in Poland so far," said the minister.

Noting that people-to-people contacts have also been increasing by day, he said that around 900,000 Polish tourists visited Turkey annually before the pandemic.

"We are pleased that Turkey is one of the most important tourist destinations in Poland," he said, announcing that Polish nationals would only need an ID card to enter Turkey.

On migration, he emphasized that this was a global problem and that Turkey was one of the countries most affected by it in the world.

He also denied claims that illegal immigrants from third countries seeking to go to Poland and Lithuania were being transported by national flag carrier Turkish Airlines.

* Writing by Gozde Bayar