Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar threatened Greece and Cyprus once again on Thursday as he stated that Turkey would not hesitate to exercise its right to intervene, as it did in 1974.

According to the Turkish minister, this is one of the options Ankara has in case its “rights” in the Eastern Mediterranean are threatened.

“Turkey’s guarantees are very important. There is no point in trying to weaken or distort the guarantee regime maintained by Turkey by using different terms or definitions. This effort is in vain. Turkey, the Turkish Republic is the guarantor of the “Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus” on the island and as it was yesterday, so today it will use this right in the most effective way”, the Turkish defense minister said during a reception marking the 43rd anniversary of the establishment of Turkish Armed Forces in the occupied Cyprus.