Turkiye on Tuesday lambasted the European Union’s newly adopted defence and security action plan as nonstrategic and unlawful.

“Notably the chapter in the Strategic Compass plan on the Eastern Mediterranean where our country is referred to seems to have been dictated by the two members of the EU who have maximalist maritime boundary claims at the expense and persistent denial of the rights of Turkiye and the Turkish Cypriots,” said a Turkish Foreign Ministry statement.

The statement refers to Greece and the Greek Cypriots, who have blocked Turkiye’s EU membership bid for political rather than substantive reasons.

The ministry stressed that the Eastern Mediterranean chapter “fully contradicts international law, practice and even the EU’s own acquis; as such it is disconnected from reality.”

“As the document fails to show the right direction, it cannot function as a ‘compass’ nor can it be dubbed ‘strategic’,” it said.

Saying that the document will “undoubtedly make the EU part of the problem rather than the solution in the Eastern Mediterranean,” Turkiye said that it will “not steer the Union to the correct strategies.”

“Taking into account the latest developments, it is unfortunate and non-visionary for the EU that the document misses the truth and reality and sees a candidate country and a NATO Ally from such a shallow perspective,” it added.