Erdogan : it is not Turkey that has created instability in the eastern Mediterranean

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said it is not Turkey that has created instability in the eastern Mediterranean in a phone call with US President Donald Trump, the Turkish Presidency said via its Twitter account.

Turkey has been widely accused of stoking tensions through a series of steps to assert its claims over disputed maritime rights over vast swathes of the eastern Mediterranean, accusations it denies.

"President Erdogan underscored that Turkey has proven with concrete steps it has taken that it favors dialogue and de-escalation of tensions," the statement said after the phone call where the heads of state discussed biliateral matters as well as regional developments.