Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu is prone to provocation and he’s done it again. Yesterday he warned that not even a bird will fly over the Aegean without Ankara’s permission.

According to a report in Eleftheros Tipos, he was asked about the 18 islands that have been “lost” to Greece in recent years.

Aavusoglu said that since the crisis over the Imia islets in 1996 there have been no changes in the legal status of the Aegean.

“Nothing has changed in the current regime as well as in the legal status of the islands. We will not allow it. Not even a bird can fly over the Aegean without permission from Turkey. Not a single piece of rock will be given away.“ Eleftheros Tipos reported.

“Not only during our own rule, but before that there has been no change in the status of the Aegean. We will not allow this. Even in the case of research we will not give permission, not even to a bird in the Aegean,” he also told a Turkish radio station.

The foreign minister also said Turkey would make no concessions in the Aegean and Cyprus, and it would initiate gas exploration ”around” the Eastern Mediterranean island.

“Turkey has vowed to stop Cyprus from drilling for gas and oil in its exclusive economic zone (EEZ), insisting there can be no development of the island’s natural resources without the participation of the Turkish Cypriots in the island’s Turkish-occupied north,” Eleftheros Tipos reported.

“In the last few months we have prevented drilling and we drove the Italians away. We will not allow anyone to take away the rights of Turkish Cypriots,” he is reported as saying.