In line with conclusions reached at October European Council meeting concerning Turkey, EU leaders will come back to the situation in the Eastern Mediterranean and relations with Turkey and should reach certain decision on the issue, said Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis upon arriving at the two-day summit of EU leaders in Brussels on Thursday.
On the issue of the Eastern Mediterranean what is at stake is very simple. It is the credibility of the European Union. We agreed in October that, should Turkey continue its provocative behavior, there
will be consequences. Pacta sunt servanda,said the Greek Premier. It now remains to be seen, he added, if we, as Europe, are actually credible in what we have agreed upon, as agreements must be
kept. According to government sources, Greece target at this European Council meeting is the implementation of decisions reached at October conference, which was reaffirmed in November, they
added. Concerning the draft text of these decisions, sources pointed out that we are working on improvements, as there still are, unfortunately, some countries that do not want sanctions or measures against Turkey. The Prime Minister will also seek to raise the significance of specific issues pertaining to Turkey’s geopolitical attitude, one of them being "the instrumentalization of the migration and refugee crisis. while he will also remind EU leaders of his earlier November proposal for an arms embargo against Turkey, they added.
Turkey’s illegal actions in the Eastern Mediterranean are not only directed against Greece and Cyprus, but threaten the stability of the entire Eastern Mediterranean region, was pointed up. They are, ultimately, directed against the entire EU bloc, and are incompatiblewith the Union’s values and principles, was stressed.
Turkey’s East Med actions in discussion at unfolding Brussels EU Summit
The two-day physical meeting of EU leaders is underway in Brussels on Thursday, where the European Council will look into a number of issues, including Turkey actions in the Eastern Mediterranean, while on the second day the heads of state will meet again for the Euro Summit. In doorstep statements on Thursday, French President Emmanuel Macron said France stance on the Turkish issue is clear we shall defend the sovereignty of EU states and stability in the Eastern
Mediterranean and the entire region, including North Africa and the Middle East.
EU assessment of Turkey is not positive, said the EU High Representative Josep Borrell, while President of the European Council Charles Michel noted that we will look into our relationship with Turkey and see how we can send a clear message, in continuation of our defending of European values and interests./argumentum.al
