Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on Monday called on those seeking to exclude Türkiye from the Eastern Mediterranean to respect the "joint will" of his country and Libya.
"I would like to remind once again those who seek to exclude Türkiye from the Eastern Mediterranean that we expect them to respect the joint will of our country and Libya," Erdoğan said following a Cabinet meeting at the Presidential Complex in the capital Ankara.
Erdoğan said Ankara is not seeking to outmaneuver anyone in the Eastern Mediterranean, but is focused on protecting its maritime jurisdiction rights and interests.
"We are not, so to speak, trying to score against anyone in the Eastern Mediterranean. We are only concerned with protecting our rights and interests regarding maritime jurisdiction areas," he said.
His remarks came days after Libya's eastern-based House of Representatives approved the 2019 maritime jurisdiction agreement between Türkiye and Libya.
He said Türkiye supports resolving disputes peacefully through dialogue with all coastal states and expects all parties, particularly the European Union, to demonstrate the same constructive approach.
Erdoğan stressed that aggressive rhetoric detached from reality serves no one's interests, adding that Türkiye does not shape its policies in response to such statements.
Erdoğan also stressed Ankara's desire to see Libya overcome its internal divisions.
"Türkiye no longer wants to see division or discord in Libya or any other Muslim country. God willing, we will see this aspiration become a reality in Libya," he said.
He said Türkiye stood firmly by the Libyan people during their most difficult times, seeking to fulfill its obligations under their brotherly ties.
Beyond the unanimous Libyan parliamentary vote, what is particularly commendable is that the agreement embodies the principle of "One Libya, One State," which Türkiye has consistently advocated since the outset, he added.
Another important aspect of the decision is that "our Libyan brothers and sisters" have acted collectively on matters of national interest despite their political differences, Erdoğan said.
Erdoğan also said global developments showed that preserving an environment of peace and stability at home would become increasingly important for Türkiye in the days and years ahead.
"Our sole compass in both politics and foreign policy is Türkiye's interests," Erdoğan said.
Erdoğan said Türkiye is committed to defending the rights of its kin, compatriots, and friends wherever they are, from the Balkans to the Turkic republics.
He added that Ankara is working to build friendly, mutually respectful relations with countries around the world, starting with its neighbors, while seeking to establish new partnerships with countries with which it had maintained limited ties for years.
Erdoğan told how over the weekend, Türkiye hosted the 9th Istanbul Mediation Conference and the R4 and R4+E4 foreign ministers' meetings, adding that Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev is set to visit Ankara on Wednesday.
He said Türkiye would celebrate the 103rd birthday of the republic this Thursday, Oct. 29, with great enthusiasm alongside distinguished guests from the Turkic world.
"We will never hesitate to do what is right and beneficial for Türkiye and the Turkish nation, even if it comes at a cost," he added.
Turning to the upcoming 13th summit of the Organization of Turkic States, Erdoğan stressed the importance of unity among Turkic countries.
"As the Turkic world, I believe we will once again stand together in unity and solidarity against those who seek to undermine our unshakable brotherhood," he said.
Addressing conflicts in the wider region, he said Türkiye is working to help end violence and bloodshed.
"Türkiye is sincerely striving, with all the means at our disposal, to extinguish this fire, alleviate suffering, and stop the bloodshed, opposing those who fuel the fire in our region with expansionist ambitions," he said.
Erdoğan said since the previous Cabinet meeting, Türkiye has witnessed developments expanding its international influence.
He highlighted visits by Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet on Oct. 16 and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, calling the latter a milestone in the two countries' 83 years of diplomatic ties.
Türkiye and Cambodia discussed cooperation in trade, investment, energy, education, and defense, while signing a military framework agreement. Türkiye and Canada signed three agreements covering defense, air transportation, and energy, and agreed to begin free trade agreement negotiations before the end of the year.
Erdoğan said Türkiye aims to increase bilateral trade with Canada from around $3 billion to $5 billion initially, and eventually to $10 billion.
