Turkey has denounced a joint statement issued by Greece, Cyprus and Egypt in which the trio slammed Ankara for conducting “illegal” activities in the contested Mediterranean waters that threatened peace and stability in the region. 

The Foreign Ministry said in a statement Thursday that it rejected the “baseless accusations and claims against Turkey,” adding that such allegations were typical of the trio.

“The countries causing the problems in the region cannot be part of the solution unless they abandon their maximalist and hostile policies,” read the statement. “Turkey will continue to resolutely protect both her own rights and those of the Turkish Cypriots in the Eastern Mediterranean.”

Turkey says it has maritime rights to areas in the eastern Mediterranean Sea that are home to potential offshore gas reserves and where Cyprus, Greece and Egypt also claim jurisdiction. The simmering territorial dispute escalated earlier this summer after Ankara deployed its Oruc Reis research vessel to conduct exploratory work near the Greek island of Kastellorizo.