Page 17 - EurOil Week 37

EurOil POLICY EurOil

EU-Turkey ties reach

“watershed moment”

TURKEY THE European Union’s relationship with Tur- becoming an EU member in the foreseeable
key is at a turning point, the bloc’s top diplomat future.
Remarks to the said on September 15. Speaking in the European
European Parliament Parliament, Josep Borrell urged Ankara to back Call for “tangible solidarity”
come as the bloc down from conflict in the eastern Mediterra- Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis
moves towards possible nean and uphold the basic human rights of its called on September 15 for “tangible solidarity”
imposition of sanctions citizens. from the EU in tackling both the migrant crisis
on Ankara over east “[Our ties] are at a watershed moment in and east Mediterranean tensions with Turkey.
Mediterranean drilling history, which will go to one side or the other, Mitsotakis was reported by Reuters as saying
rights dispute. depending on what happens in the next days,” that Greece was ready to enter exploratory talks
Borrell said. with Turkey “immediately” on the maritime zones
EU leaders are set to meet at a September if Ankara ended its “provocations” in the region.
24-25 summit to discuss Turkey and fur- Turkey’s Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu
ther consider whether a strategy driven by said his country has been proposing to restart
sanctions should be adopted. Ankara’s gun- exploratory talks with Greece. “Exploratory
boat-backed showdown with bloc members talks actually cover all disputed issues between
Greece and Cyprus over gas and oil explo- Turkey and Greece... The previous government
ration entitlements in various parts of the [in Greece]... didn’t want to actually restart. And
eastern Mediterranean is top of the agenda, this government also has not been willing to
while the Turkish interventions in the Libyan restart the exploratory talks, so we have to make
and Syrian civil wars, and Turkey’s bellicose an agreement,” he said.
posturing on the side of Azerbaijan following Last week brought a war of words between
its border skirmishes with Armenia in July, French President Emmanuel Macron, Greece’s
are also causing consternation, with euro- most outspoken ally in the eastern Mediterra-
crats concerned that Turkey is increasingly nean dispute, and Erdogan. Macron drew the
asserting itself as a regional bully. Turkish wrath of his Turkish counterpart by stating that
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s stark lurch his problem is not with the Turkish people, for
into authoritarianism since the failed coup whom he has great respect, but with the Erdo-
against his administration in July 2016 had gan government. Erdogan responded with
already rid Brussels of any notion that Turkey characteristic angry rhetoric on September 12,
could progress its decades-long ambition of telling Macron “not to mess” with Turkey. ™

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