'Provocations in Aegean, Med., Cyprus have no effect'

By Sarp Ozer

KABUL, Afghanistan (AA) - Everyone needs to avoid provocations in Aegean, Mediterranean and Cyprus "or else price will be heavy", Turkish defense minister said on Saturday.

"All should know that provocations in Aegean, Mediterranean and Cyprus will have no effect," Hulusi Akar said during a visit to Turkey's task force command post in the Afghan capital Kabul.

Akar said Turkey will not tolerate any disturbance in its territorial waters and also in Cyprus, stressing the protection of Turkish Cypriots' rights in the Aegean and the Eastern Mediterranean.

Akar arrived in the Afghan capital on Friday after a two-day visit to neighboring Pakistan.

Turkey has consistently contested the Greek Cypriot administration’s unilateral drilling activity in the Eastern Mediterranean, saying Turkish Cypriots also have rights to the resources in the area.

Cyprus has been divided since 1974, when a Greek Cypriot coup was followed by violence against the island's Turks and Ankara's intervention as a guarantor power.