President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on Wednesday lambasted a tripartite summit of Greece, Greek Cypriots and Israel, where the three countries signaled more cooperation in the Eastern Mediterranean against Türkiye.

“We won’t trample on rights in the East Med, but this doesn’t mean we will allow our rights to be trampled on,” he told an event held by his Justice and Development Party (AK Party) in Ankara.

The summit in west Jerusalem on Monday gave an opportunity to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for his favorite pastime since the collapse of relations with Türkiye, hitting out at the Turkish government, a staunch supporter of the Palestinian cause and opponent of Tel Aviv’s genocidal attacks on Gaza. As he stood next to leaders of the Greek Cypriot administration and Greece, two historic foes of Türkiye, which occasionally extend an olive branch to Ankara, Netanyahu asserted a renewed alliance of the three. Netanyahu accused Türkiye of “fantasizing” about a return to the times of the Ottomans, which once reigned in lands of modern-day Cyprus, Greece and Israel.

Erdoğan, in return, responded to Netanyahu by reminding how Ottomans welcomed Sephardic Jews fleeing the Spanish Inquisition in the 15th century and how the Republic of Türkiye embraced Jewish scientists fleeing Nazi Germany. The president was also defiant on how Türkiye stood for its independence and future.

“We defeated them all throughout history. With our hearts full of faith, we upset the ambitions of (enemies). Rest assured that we always support peace. Yet, it does not mean we will consent to oppression and remain silent in the face of unfair practices,” he said.

Erdoğan reiterated Türkiye’s rights in the Eastern Mediterranean and Aegean, adding that they would not allow the rights of Turkish Cypriots to be trampled as well. “They can negotiate deals, sign them and give messages through questions (to Netanyahu) ordered in advance. We do not care,” he said.

“For us, impertinent statements of someone who has the blood of our more than 70,000 Palestinian brothers and sisters are nothing more than twaddle. We won’t fall for their traps, their provocation. Türkiye, in the context of international laws and bilateral agreements and in a way fitting for its historic experience and traditions, will continue acting with calm and common sense,” Erdoğan stated.