How difficult is it for Conte to take a position against Erdogan?

Rome. At the next European Council on 24 and 25 September, Italy will be asked to adopt a clear position on two files on which it has not been seen so far. The sanctions against Belarus and Turkey could end up on the table of the heads of state and government. By that day, Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte will have to find a credible alternative to the traditional mantra of our diplomacy, that of “we dialogue with everyone.” Turkey claims sovereignty off its coasts, up to Cyprus, for the exploitation of raw materials. To complicate the legal question is geography. For example, the southernmost of the Dodecanese islands, Kastellorizo, is Greek. However, it is 600 kilometers from Greece and only two from the Turkish coast. Athens has moved a contingent of its army to the island, while for months, further offshore, Turkish frigates have been provoking Greek and French frigates and Ankara fighters have repeatedly violated Greek airspace. The High Representative for European Foreign Policy, Josep Borrell, in a rare moment of momentum for a European diplomat, has already stated that, if asked to decide, the EU can only side with its member countries and support sanctions. . “Turkey refrain from unilateral actions,” was the warning addressed to Ankara by the head of European diplomacy. A communion of intentions that is “a success for our European family”, exulted the Greek Chancellor Nikos Dendias.