Publish Date: 14 May 2018 - 15:19

TEHRAN, May 14 (MNA) –Turkish President Erdogan said that the United States had lost its role as a mediator in the Middle East by moving its Israel embassy to al-Quds (Jerusalem).

"The United States has chosen to be a part of the problem rather than the solution with its latest step and has lost its mediating role in the peace process," Erdogan stressed.

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan also said that the eastern Mediterranean region will face a sustained security threat if Cyprus continues unilateral operations.

Turkey and Cyprus's internationally recognised Greek Cypriot government have been locked in a public dispute over overlapping claims of authority for offshore oil and gas research in the region.

Turkey rejects what it says is a "unilateral" search for resources by the Cypriot government, saying that it neglects the rights of the seceded Turkish Cypriots to the island's natural resources.

MNA/SPUTNIK