All measures regarding the European Union’s relations with Turkey, whether positive or negative, will be discussed at the European Council on 24 and 25 September, a European source announced on 6 September.
Earlier in the day, the President of the European Council, Charles Michel, had met with the Turkish President, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, in view of the growing tensions in the Eastern Mediterranean. During the telephone interview, Michel “stressed the importance of easing the conflict and called on Turkey to refrain from activities that fuel tensions”, the source told a group of journalists. She added that the EU, in full solidarity with Greece and Cyprus, wished to have a constructive relationship with Ankara.
In addition to holding the extraordinary summit on 24 and 25 September, the President of the European Council called for “a multilateral conference on the Eastern Mediterranean”, with a view to finding peaceful and negotiated solutions, without giving further details about this conference. “The objective is clear: to listen and call for dialogue as the only way to resolve current disputes”, the source said.
For his part, according to the Turkish presidential services, Mr Erdoğan said in his meeting with Mr Michel that “the attitude which the EU will demonstrate will be a test of its sincerity from the point of view of international law and regional peace”. The Turkish President is reported to have called on the institutions and member states to “behave responsibly and remain fair, impartial and objective on all regional issues, particularly in the Eastern Mediterranean”. (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)