The High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Josep Borrell, visited Turkey on Monday 6 July to discuss relations between the EU, its Member States and Ankara with Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu and Defence Minister Hulusi Akar. Mr Borrell is seeking to change the dynamics of these relationships (see EUROPE 12516/27).
"The situation is far from ideal. There are many serious issues that require our immediate attention. I want to change for the best the dynamics in our relationship because I believe that we have a mutual interest to get out of this situation and chart a new and positive trajectory, avoiding any kind of incident that could spark more troubles", Borrell summed up at a press conference with Mr Çavuşoğlu. Taking unilateral decisions would therefore only worsen the situation, he warned.
Mr Çavuşoğlu also called for improved relations in all areas, adding that the EU should not follow political criteria but objective criteria. The EU must be part of the solution, not part of the problem, he added.
As he has already explained on several occasions (see EUROPE 12514/22), Mr Borrell wants to rely on dialogue, hoping for more contacts to settle differences. And there is no shortage of subjects for discussion and disagreement: Turkey's accession to the EU, visa liberalisation, modernisation of the Customs Union, tensions with Cyprus and Greece, Turkey's growing role in the region, particularly in Libya and Syria, etc. While the rule of law in Turkey is a matter of concern to Europe, the subject was not at any point mentioned by Mr Borrell.
The High Representative also considered that the 2016 declaration between the EU and Turkey, adopted to regulate migration flows but not fully implemented, should be revised to take all these issues into account. "We need to sit down again and discuss an update of this declaration, which is coming to an end, and look for a new one in which we can bring together all the issues that affect our relationship", Borrell proposed. For his part, according to press reports, Mr Çavuşoğlu said that in the absence of progress in the talks, "Turkey would continue to not hold back those [migrants - ed.] who want to leave" for Europe.
Mr Borrell also called for bilateral dialogues between Turkey and Greece on the one hand and Cyprus on the other. He promised that the EU would help as much as possible in the launch of negotiations between Ankara and Athens and in the search between Ankara and Nicosia for an agreement to share hydrocarbon revenues between the two Cypriot communities. "We will support the EU mediation [on energy resources in the Eastern Mediterranean - ed.], all it needs is for it to be honest", Mr Çavuşoğlu stressed, adding that his country would not allow itself to be taken hostage by these two countries.
Although the High Representative puts the emphasis on dialogue, Europe could adopt new sanctions against Turkey, in particular under pressure from France, in response to ongoing illegal drilling activities in Cyprus's exclusive economic zone (see EUROPE 12435/4). Relations between Paris and Ankara have deteriorated sharply since an incident between naval vessels in the Mediterranean (see EUROPE 12519/16). "Sanctioning Turkey will not solve any problems, it will only deepen them. If the European Union announces further sanctions, we will be obliged to respond to them. What will happen then? Tensions will increase", warned the Turkish minister, who also reproached France for hijacking EU-Turkey relations.
The latest bone of contention is the non-inclusion of Turkey in the common European list for return of tourists from third countries. Mr Borrell noted that the EU had adopted a gradual lifting of restrictions and that "objective criteria, mainly linked to the health situation" were being reassessed at least every 2 weeks.
EU-Turkey relations and Ankara's role in the region will be discussed on Thursday 9 July in the plenary session of the European Parliament and then on Monday 13 July at the Foreign Affairs Council. The European Council of 17 and 18 July could also return to the subject. (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)