The European Parliament insisted, on Thursday 17 September, on the need for dialogue between Turkey, the EU and its Member States, by adopting a joint resolution by the GUE/NGL, Greens/EFA, S&D, Renew Europe, ECR and EPP groups on the escalation of tensions and Turkey's role in the Eastern Mediterranean (601 votes in favour, 57 against and 36 abstentions).
The Parliament is very concerned about the risk of a new military escalation in the eastern Mediterranean and is “firmly convinced that a lasting solution to the conflict will necessarily involve dialogue, diplomacy and negotiations, in a spirit of good will and respect for international law”.
MEPs therefore call on Turkey to immediately cease all illegal prospecting and drilling activities in the Eastern Mediterranean, not to violate Greek airspace and Greek and Cypriot territorial waters and to put an end to “bellicose nationalist rhetoric”. All players concerned, “in particular Turkey”, must engage without delay in a process of de-escalation by withdrawing militarily from the region in order to promote dialogue and engage in effective cooperation.
“Only dialogue, sincere co-operation and concrete progress on the ground can avoid new sanctions”, warn MEPs, who call on the EU Council, in the absence of any significant progress in the dialogue with Ankara, to “prepare to draw up a list of new, [sectoral and targeted] restrictive measures”.
Welcoming the mediation efforts of the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and the German EU Council Presidency, MEPs also supported the proposal by European Council President Charles Michel to organise a multilateral conference on the Eastern Mediterranean, involving all relevant players, to provide a platform for settling disputes through dialogue.
In addition, MEPs say the Commission and Member States should engage in a broader and more inclusive dialogue with Turkey with a view to establishing a comprehensive and strategic security architecture for the Mediterranean and energy cooperation in the region. They denounced the “disastrous” human rights situation in Turkey and the erosion of democracy and the Rule of law.
On Wednesday 16, in a statement, the spokesman for the European External Action Service described the withdrawal of the research vessel Oruç Reis as “an important step that paves the way for a meaningful dialogue between Greece and Turkey”, calling for a similar decision regarding Cyprus. Conversely, he had denounced the extension of the Navtex for the drill ship Yavuz. According to him, this will fuel tensions and insecurity in the Eastern Mediterranean “at a time when it is possible to pursue immediate de-escalation and to resume dialogue and negotiations, which is the only path to lasting solutions”. (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)