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Marked differences in the eastern Mediterranean will dominate talks during the Southern European Union summit chaired today by French President Emmanuel Macron on the French island of Corsica.
The leaders of the seven member states of the group “MED 7” will meet for a few hours in a hotel in the coastal town of Porticio on the Gulf of Ajaccio, in an attempt to adjust their strategy to avoid an exacerbation of the crisis between Turkey and Greece.
The French president, very committed to this file, will discuss the situation with the prime ministers of Italy, Giuseppe Conte, the Spanish Pedro Sánchez, Greece, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, Portugal, Antonio Costa, Malta, Robert Abela, and the Cypriot president, Nicos Anastasiades .
The French Elysee Palace said the objective is “to advance on the path of consensus on the relationship of the European Union with Turkey, in preparation especially for the European summit on September 24 and 25, which will be dedicated” to this purpose in Brussels. .
Greece and Cyprus are on the front line of confrontation with Turkey, which demands the right to exploit oil and gas in a maritime zone that Athens claims is under its sovereignty.
France has clearly shown its support for Greece by deploying warships and fighter jets in the region, in an initiative that was strongly condemned by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who is mainly angry at France.
The French presidency made it clear that Paris is asking today for a “clarification” of relations with Turkey, which it considers “an important partner that should be able to work with it in a solid way.”
Before the start of the summit, Emmanuel Macron will hold side talks with Greek Prime Minister Mitsotakis, which may include the purchase of French Rafale jets by Athens, according to Greek newspapers.
This is the seventh time that the MED7 group has met in the informal forum of the European Union, which was launched in 2016 in the context of the divergence that occurred between the countries of northern and southern Europe due to the crisis Greek economic. This tension has subsided between the countries of northern and southern Europe, but the countries in this group feel the need for better coordination to face common challenges such as immigration and the Libyan crisis, as well as relations with the southern Mediterranean countries. .
The Elysee Palace affirmed that these countries “share the same desire to give a new impetus to cooperation” in this region “especially with regard to sustainable development and sovereignty.” There is an agreement between these countries on the future of the European Union to make it more supportive. It stood with a front in July against the countries that asked for a short European budget, especially the northern countries, in terms of the European recovery plan worth 750,000 million euros.
Before the meeting in Corsica, President Macron began his third visit to Corsica last night since the beginning of his presidential term.
He participated in a ceremony celebrating the liberation of Ajaccio, followed by a dinner with local officials.
Today, the French president is informed about the progress of various projects in Corsica, especially in terms of water and waste. The atmosphere has notably calmed between the French government and the nationalists in Corsica, but relations remain delicate.
(AFP)
