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In a surprise move, Charles Michel changed the Summit agenda and brought the issue of Turkey and Belarus to the table.
In the last hours and under fear of a veto by Nicosia in the event that sanctions are not imposed on Ankara – with the situation on the tightrope – the President of the European Council, Charles Michel, changed the agenda of the Summit , bringing to the table the controversial issue of Turkey and Belarus.
According to Politico, in fact, the first to speak was German Chancellor Angela Merkel. It should be noted that she herself declared at the Summit that “the EU is interested in developing a really constructive relationship with Turkey”.
He added that he is not in favor of imposing sanctions on Ankara. “Our goal is to reduce tensions in the eastern Mediterranean.”
The initial agenda was for the leaders to focus on relations with Turkey and its criminal behavior in the eastern Mediterranean region during dinner Thursday night. 
Cyprus threatens veto
Member state leaders are expected to adopt conclusions, calling for restrictive measures “without delay” against Belarus, immediate ceasefire in Nagorno-Karabakh, independent investigation into the use of chemical weapons against Alexei Navalny, while establishing the framework of the EU-China relations in the near future, according to a draft that came into the possession of the Cyprus News Agency. However, the draft does not contain a paragraph on Turkey.
As Cyprus has already made clear that it will not accept sanctions against Belarus unless the European Council takes similar action against Turkey, fears of a deadlock are now evident, with Nicosia under heavy pressure to change its stance. of.
A Cypriot diplomat told Reuters that Nicosia insisted on its position that sanctions against Belarus could only be imposed on the condition that similar sanctions are imposed on Turkey.
“For sanctions to be imposed on Belarus, we must first accept our own proposals,” he said, adding that Cyprus President Nikos Anastasiadis had met with European Council President Charles Michel, who will chair the two-day Summit. , in order to describe in detail the position of Nicosia.
“I imagine there will be a long debate in the European Council. I do not rule out that something could happen, but, for now, I would not bet on a positive result,” continued the same source.
The objective of the intensive consultations of the President of the European Council, Charles Michel, is to reach unanimity on the sanctions against the Lukashenko regime, but Nicosia insists for the moment not to give its consent, and the next hours are expected to be especially critics.
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