EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell warned Turkey on Thursday that its relations with the bloc were approaching a “watershed moment” as regards its behaviour in the eastern Mediterranean.
“Time is running, and we are approaching a watershed moment in our relationship with Turkey,” he warned.
The EU’s High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy was speaking after a video conference with the bloc’s 27 foreign ministers.
“It is important that Turkey understands that its behaviour is widening its separation from the EU,” he said after the video conference, in which Cyprus’ Foreign Minister Nikos Christodoulides also participated.
Borrell said that developments in the eastern Mediterranean were among the issues discussed at the meeting.
“We recall the EU’s solidarity with Cyprus and Greece, and we consider the recent actions and statements by Turkey related to Cyprus contrary to UN resolutions and that they are igniting tensions,” he said.
“In order to return to a positive agenda, as we wish, we will require a fundamental change of attitude on the Turkish side,” he added.
The European Council, he said, will provide crucial direction on this issue next month.
Citing sources, the Cyprus News Agency said that the consensus view was that Ankara’s behaviour from October until today proves that it is not interested in taking advantage of the window of opportunity given to it since it chooses to escalate its actions.
In this context, the European Council, which will convene in December, will discuss developments, and take decisions based on Turkey’s behaviour, the same sources said.
Prior to the meeting, German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas called on Turkey to cease provocations in the eastern Mediterranean if it wants to avoid new discussions about EU sanctions against Ankara at the leaders’ summit in December.
“It is up to Turkey what decision will be taken at the EU summit in December,” Maas said. “If we see no positive signals coming from Turkey by December, only further provocations such as (Turkish President Tayyip) Erdogan’s visit to north Cyprus, then we are heading for a difficult debate,” Maas said. The question of imposing sanctions against Turkey would then certainly come up again, he added.
Earlier in the day, Christodoulides told state broadcaster CyBC, that so far Turkey has not responded to the European Council’s clear message that a positive agenda will be set if there are positive developments. He was referring to the agreement of the European Council last month to launch a positive political EU-Turkey agenda with a specific emphasis on the modernisation of the Customs Union and trade facilitation, among other things, provided Ankara made constructive efforts to stop illegal activities that affect Greece and Cyprus.
Christodoulides and Greek Foreign Minister Nicos Dendias, during a telephone conversation on Wednesday, discussed the need for a European response to the Turkish illegal and provocative actions.
During the video conference, the 27 foreign ministers were briefed by Borrell, about current affairs such as the outcome of the US elections and the situation in Afghanistan, Belarus, Nagorno Karabakh, the Eastern Mediterranean and Ethiopia.
The EU’s foreign ministers agreed on Thursday to push ahead with a new round of sanctions on Belarus including on Belarusian companies, in response to state repression of pro-democracy protests, Borrell said.
