On Thursday 29 October, the President of the European Council, Charles Michel, condemned, on behalf of the European Council, Turkey’s unilateral actions in the Eastern Mediterranean, as well as President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s insulting remarks towards the French President (see EUROPE 12589/12).
“We condemn the recent unilateral actions in the eastern Mediterranean, the provocations, and the rhetoric, which are completely unacceptable”, he explained at the end of the European leaders’ videoconference, which was devoted to Covid-19, but at which the subject of Turkey was briefly addressed.
Recalling that the EU has proposed a positive agenda to Turkey, which has “so far not chosen this path”, Mr Michel explained that leaders will return to the issue of Turkey in December, as planned (see EUROPE 12572/25).
This meeting could be an opportunity to adopt measures against Ankara. Earlier in the day, the Greek Defence Minister, Nikólaos Panayotópoulos, made this plea. “Sooner or later the EU has to face reality and something has to be done about Turkey”, he explained at a discussion organised by the German Marshall Fund, expressing pessimism about a possible reversal of Turkey’s “provocative” attitude. The Minister recalled Ankara’s threats to Greece and Cyprus, its conduct towards France, and its hostile behaviour towards several countries around the Mediterranean.
“If (Turkey’s) behaviour continues, and there is every evidence that it will continue, I’m afraid that there will be no other alternative to imposing certain types of sanctions”, he added. While acknowledging that some European countries have strong economic ties with Turkey, the minister felt that “at some point” something should be done, adding that if not, Ankara will think it can continue its actions.
Nikólaos Panayotópoulos found particularly alarming the “revisionist and expansionist position” of Turkey, “which clearly sees itself as an emerging superpower that is distancing itself from the West”. “The West should pay particular attention to this”, he added, believing that an “organised response” to Turkish behaviour is needed, give that it is undermining the stability of the region. (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)