Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu said on Tuesday that any agreement which excluded Turkey from the Eastern Mediterranean had no validity.

Çavuşoğlu, speaking to Turkish news broadcaster NTV, commented on the exclusion of Turkey from the East Mediterranean Gas Forum (EMGF).

“We will do whatever is necessary if our rights are violated,” said the Turkish foreign minister, adding that Turkey had proven what it was capable of in the field.

Çavuşoğlu reminded that Turkey had proposed an Eastern Mediterranean Energy conference with the participation of all Eastern Mediterranean countries.

“We will not allow anyone to usurp our rights,” he said.