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EU gives Turkey an ultimatum in gas dispute
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The relationship between the EU and Turkey is “more than overwhelmed”
Federal Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said after the Gymnich meeting that the EU’s relationship with Turkey is “more than strained” by developments in the Mediterranean. “A diplomatic solution remains our most urgent goal,” Maas continued.
Greece and Cyprus have long asked their EU partners for more support in the dispute with Turkey. Now the EU has given the Turkish government an ultimatum and backed it with a specific threat.
reThe EU is giving Turkey an ultimatum for gas exploration in the eastern Mediterranean and is threatening additional sanctions. If there is no progress in the dialogue in the coming weeks, a list of new punitive measures could be discussed at the special EU summit on September 24, EU Foreign Affairs representative Josep Borrell said on Friday after consultations with the EU foreign ministers in Berlin. These would also include financial penalties.
Furthermore, Borrell announced that work on the new EU entry bans and the planned asset freeze due to illegal drilling off Cyprus should be accelerated and completed quickly. “It is clear that there is growing frustration with Turkey’s behavior,” he said, referring to ongoing gas exploration in Turkey.
Ankara reacted disappointed to Friday’s ultimatum. The EU has no right to ask Turkey to abandon its legitimate search for resources in the eastern Mediterranean, the Turkish Foreign Ministry said. The ministry accused the EU of increasing tensions in the region. Ankara hopes the EU will take on the role of an “impartial mediator” in the conflict, he said.
As host of the meeting in Berlin, Federal Foreign Minister Heiko Maas described the relationship between the EU and Turkey as “more than burdened”. At the same time, the SPD politician emphasized that a solution to the conflict in the context of direct talks remains the “most urgent objective.” “We want to give diplomacy a chance, and Turkey must create the conditions for this and refrain from provocations, which we unfortunately have to deal with again and again.” It was agreed that questions of international law should be directed to the International Court of Justice for clarification should be presented.
Greece and Cyprus demand tougher sanctions
Greece and Cyprus have long demanded tougher sanctions due to Turkey’s gas exploration. They believe that they are made in their maritime zones and are therefore illegal. Turkey rejects the accusations. It takes the position that the waters in which it seeks natural gas belong to its continental shelf, even if they are near the Greek islands of Rhodes and Kastelorizo.
The EU had already imposed the first entry bans and asset freezes in February. It was also decided in 2019 to restrict the allocation of EU funds and to suspend negotiations on an air transport agreement.
The question of how the EU should approach the conflict over natural gas reserves in the eastern Mediterranean was the main topic of the meeting of foreign ministers, together with a debate on the situation in Belarus and the EU’s relations with Russia. . The controversy had come to a head recently due to the start of a new fact-finding mission in Turkey. There is a similar conflict on the island of Cyprus, off whose coast rich reserves of natural gas have already been discovered.
Angered by the EU’s reluctance to apply new sanctions to date, Cyprus even indirectly threatened to veto the Belarusian sanctions at the Berlin meeting if it did not increase the EU’s pressure on Turkey in the gas dispute.
In the end, however, the foreign ministers of the EU states could agree to go ahead with preparations for punitive measures against high-ranking supporters of Belarusian head of state Alexander Lukashenko. How many people will be affected has not yet been definitively determined. The latest target number of about 20 people is expected to rise again, Borrell said. All are accused of being responsible for fraudulent elections and the violent repression of peaceful protests.
