“Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu has denied media reports that he described the government’s foreign policy as &‘neo-Ottomanism,’ saying Turkey acts as a nation-state in its relations with other nations in its region,” Turkish Zaman daily reports.

“Turkey’s foreign policy understanding is based on the principle of having relations with all the states in our region on an equal footing,” Davutoglu stated on Nov. 24 in Libya, the source reads.

Earlier, Davutoglu had told deputies of the ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party) during a closed-door meeting last week that the government was pursuing a “neo-Ottoman” foreign policy in the Middle East and the Balkans, a former territory of the Ottoman Empire, the source informs.

Nevertheless, Turkish FM said his words were “taken out of context” and do not reflect the truth." “We are particularly very sensitive about this. When others use it, I have always warned that we do not consider it correct,” Davutoglu outlined.