Erdogan Denies Ulterior Motives in Naval Drills; Egyptian Relations On the Mend

LOCAL NEWS

• Erdogan says no ulterior motives behind Turkish East Med & Aegean naval drills following Saturday's military and naval drills. Ankara & naval officials allegedly joined the drills aboard the contentious Oruc Reis drilling vessel.
  • Erdogan said Turkey will not give up its East Med rights, noting this year's Blue Homeland drills were stronger & more organized.
  • Also noted "we are adamant on making Turkey a superpower in the naval world"
• Defense Min Akar says Egypt's respect for Turkey's continental shelf in its latest hydrocarbon exploration contracts was a very important development for relations.
  • Follow's Cavusoglu's remarks last week that a deal on maritime boundaries was in the pipeline, however, this has not yet been confirmed by Egyptian authorities.
  • Local analyst says this de-escalation strategy is aimed at bypassing EU criticism at the EU Summit (March 25-26)
• EU's Borrell insists EU participation in UN Cyprus talks (27 April) is essential, which was supported by Greek Cypriot president. However, Turkish Cypriot president has previously said the EU's presence will not be welcome, requiring impartiality from the EU –
• Experts concerned over a spike in Covid-19 cases across all but 16 provinces last week. Cases per 100k people rose from 89.9 to 112 In Istanbul, 39.8 to 55 in Ankara & 53 to 66 in Izmir. Experts noted widespread flouting of covid rules in Istanbul being cause for concern
• Defense ministry briefing in Ankara 0900GMT: may mention S-400s or recent East Med drills etc, Erdogan speaks 1100GMT & 1600GMT