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Shortly before 2 am on Friday, the “27” agreed on the draft conclusions on the EU’s position on Turkey, as noted by diplomats and official statements from Ursula von der Leyen and Charles Michel are expected.
According to a European official, in addition to Turkey, the plan was decided with possible sanctions for Belarus, on the occasion of the presidential elections where Alexander Lukashenko was re-elected under strong questioning of the electoral result.
The summit will continue on Friday morning (09:30 Brussels time) and at noon the joint press conference of Charles Michel and Ursula von der Leyen is scheduled to close the two-day work.
Officials note that the first day of the Summit ended with an agreement of the “27” on “how to deal with Turkey” and the “plan to impose sanctions on Belarus”, following the events of the recent presidential elections.
Shortly before midnight, Charles Michel presented new text on the draft conclusions, which builds on the previous two and adds to the EU’s strong condemnation of illegal Turkish drilling within the Cyprus EEZ. The text states that the EU is “fully committed to resolving the Cyprus issue”, retains the phrase “use all means” in the event of unilateral action by Turkey, commits the Council to take decisions before December and includes the Greek phrase “delimitation of the continental shelf and exclusive economic zones”.
In the latest draft conclusions, the leaders consider new wording for Turkey and Cyprus.
The proposed new text adds that it “calls on Turkey to initiate a dialogue aimed at resolving all maritime disputes between Turkey and Cyprus” and notes that the European Council “remains fully committed to a comprehensive solution to the Cyprus problem.”
The new wording establishes that “in the event that a unilateral action or a challenge that violates international law is resumed, the EU will use all means and options at its disposal, including Article 29 TEU and Article 215 TFEU, to defend your interests and the interests of your Member States The articles of the Treaty refer to sanctions but do not explicitly mention the word.
The new draft also removes an earlier mention that the distribution of hydrocarbon resources in Cyprus needs to be addressed. One of Ankara’s main demands is that the Turkish Cypriots receive a fair share of the finds on the divided island.
According to the draft, “the European Council will continue to closely monitor developments and will return accordingly and make decisions, as appropriate, at its December meeting at the latest.”
“It is known that for the Turkish side, any conviction, any reference to any measure and sanction, any exception to the rights and political equality of Turkish Cypriots, is completely unacceptable,” a Turkish official told politician.
Charles Michel: Turkey will end unilateral actions
The press conference of the President of the European Council, Charles Michel, following the negotiations on the first day of the Summit, called on Turkey to end its unilateral actions and noted that the next two weeks would be crucial for the EU’s relationship with Ankara. , while the issue will be re-examined at the December Summit.
Charles Michel said: “It is our great wish to have a stronger voice on the international stage and this presupposes that we can work more closely with the Member States. We will pursue a dual strategy with Turkey. We very much wish to give political dialogue an opportunity and move towards a greater stability.
He warned that the EU hopes Turkey will step up its efforts and move closer to Brussels, taking concrete steps.
“We are ready to use all possible tools at our disposal in case of emergency,” he said, confirming that the EU is determined to fix its terms in the new political dialogue.
Ursula von der Leyen: EU countries support Greece and Cyprus
For her part, Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said after the summit that the agreement shows that EU countries support Greece and Cyprus.
“We reaffirm our solidarity in Greece and Cyprus. And it is clear that nothing can create discord between us,” he said, adding that “tensions in the Mediterranean have been particularly intense.”
“We hope that Turkey will refrain from unilateral action,” von der Leyen said. “There is a toolbox that can be used immediately,” he said, adding that “Turkey can benefit from strong cooperation with the EU.”
According to Barend Leyts, representative of the President of the European Council Charles Michel, the work of the Summit will begin again in the morning at 10.30 am Greek time.
