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The head of European diplomacy, Josep Borrell, said today that the neighborhood of the European Union (EU) is “on fire” in the face of crises such as the one in Belarus, which demand a united community response.
“In the last ten months, our neighborhood has been engulfed in flames, from Libya to Belarus” and “everything has gotten much worse than I expected,” Borrell confessed, in an interview published today by the Financial Times.
The head of EU diplomacy’s comments come at a time when EU countries are discussing sanctions against Belarus, President Alexander Lukashenko’s measures against his opponents and the response to Turkey’s energy prospecting in an area. maritime claimed by Greece.
In the interview, Borrell said that EU foreign ministers hope to reach an agreement on sanctions against Belarus on September 21, due to President Lukanshenko’s actions against his opponents after last month’s presidential elections.
The EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs added that Turkey’s case will be discussed by community leaders at the Brussels summit, which begins on September 24.
“Tensions in the eastern Mediterranean – between Greece, Turkey and Cyprus – have increased exponentially and there is a strong risk of confrontation, which goes beyond words,” Borrell explained.
At the same time, the EU faces a difficult test in an attempt to resolve disputes in the Balkans, such as the conflict between Serbia and Kosovo.
“If we don’t stabilize the Balkans, it will be very difficult to be considered a geopolitical power. Because no one else will. Only Europeans can do that, ”said the head of European diplomacy.
In relation to Russia, Borrell suggested that the EU should respond with sanctions, for the poisoning of the opponent Alexei Navalny, with the nerve agent Novichok, if there is “clear evidence” of the participation of government officials.
According to Borrell, the Navalny case is on par with the poisoning of former Russian spy Sergei Skripal in the UK in 2018, which led to the imposition of EU sanctions against four Russian military intelligence officers.
Borrell says, however, that it will be up to the Germans, who have identified the use of the nerve agent, to decide whether to retaliate for the Navalny case, which is hospitalized in Germany, by blocking the Russian-German Nord Stream2 gas pipeline project.
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