İbrahim Kalın, the Turkish Islamic studies scholar and the spokesperson of Turkish Presidency said in an interview with Hurriyet that Turkey would protect its ‘rights’ in the Eastern Mediterranean accusing Greece of pushing a maximalist policy in the region.

Kalin, the theoretical mastermind behind Turkey’s Neo-Ottoman expansionist foreign policy in the wider region, said that the Greek-Egyptian EEZ agreement had changed the whole situation between Greece and Turkey, as it undermined trust in the talks to reach a solution on the disputes the two countries had.

“From that point on, a serious issue of trust was raised … With the attitude taken by Greece, we have now entered a new period. “After the Greece-Egypt agreement on the EEZ, we cannot act as if nothing has happened,” he noted, emphasising that Germany has a special reason and role in what is happening.

He reiterated that Turkey would protect its rights in the Eastern Mediterranean, noting that “the instrumentalisation of the EU by Greece against us is a wrong strategy” and “doomed to fail”.

He stressed that the open matters between the two countries did not only involve the Eastern Mediterranean and the Aegean but “also the rights of the Muslim minority in Greece and the election of a mufti.”

He added: “We want the Aegean and the Mediterranean to be seas of peace. We want their resources to be available to everyone. However, we will never give up our rights and our interests “.

Asked if there is a case for resuming negotiations with Greece, he replied that this can be done at any time. “We do not expect anything, but no one will eat what we are entitled to,” he concluded.