The Turkish president and European Council head on Thursday discussed recent developments in the Eastern Mediterranean, a statement said.

Axar.az informs that, in a phone call, Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Charles Michel also spoke about regional issues, said Turkey’s Communications Directorate.

Erdogan said Turkey wants to protect the rights of all countries and reach a win-win situation for everyone in the region.

Turkey will continue to protect Ankara's rights against attempts to sideline it, the president added.

The conversation came ahead of Friday’s extraordinary European Union Foreign Affairs Council meeting to address recent Turkish-Greek tensions in the Eastern Mediterranean.

Earlier this week, Turkey resumed energy exploration in the Eastern Mediterranean after Greece and Egypt signed a controversial maritime delimitation deal.

The agreement came only a day after Ankara said it would postpone its oil and gas exploration as a goodwill gesture.