Eurasia Press & News
Turkey must respect the territorial integrity and sovereignty of all EU member states, particularly Greece and Cyprus, but Ankara remains a key partner, the EU Commission’s latest country report notes.
The Commission’s enlargement package was presented by Enlargement Commissioner Olivér Várhelyi on Wednesday. It assessed the progress made by Western Balkan states and Turkey on their respective EU paths and recommended candidate status for Bosnia and Herzegovina.
“The European Council has repeatedly reaffirmed its strategic interest in a stable and secure environment in the Eastern Mediterranean and in the development of a cooperative and mutually beneficial relationship with Turkey,” the report noted.
“However, the situation in the Eastern Mediterranean has again become tenser. Turkey must respect the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all EU member states,” the report continued.
Turkey has ruffled many feathers in the eastern Mediterranean over its threats towards Athens and refusal to progress with dialogue over its ongoing occupation of northern Cyprus. It has also de facto called into question some of Greece’s territorial waters.
“After some positive developments in 2021, relations with the EU deteriorated in the first half of 2022 due to repeated violations of Greek airspace by Turkish fighter jets in the Aegean and threatening Turkish statements regarding the sovereignty of Greek islands and against Cyprus,” it also says.
The Commission also cautioned Ankara over its military exercises in the maritime zones of Cyprus and for “illegally” obstructing survey activities in the Cypriot Exclusive Economic Zone.
It also noted that Turkey continues to fail to align with sanctions against Russia, which are a concern due to the circulation of goods between Turkey and the EU. The country must take steps to improve alignment with the EU and avoid actions against its stated objective of EU membership.
While the language used against the Turkish government was critical, the report made a significant point of noting it is a “key partner Turkey remains a key partner for the European Union in essential areas of joint interest, such as migration, counterterrorism, economy, trade, energy, food security and transport.”
It continued that it has “has facilitated dialogue between Russia and Ukraine and played a key role in the agreement on the export of grains, although it has also decided to increase trade and financial relations with Russia.”
Meanwhile, in the context of Turkey’s continual sabre rattling against Greece, the country’s top decision-making body on foreign affairs and defence matters KYSEA met on Wednesday, October 12.
Topics on the table included relations with its neighbour, the approval and implementation of arms procurement, and the border control of Evros. The meeting, presided over by Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, also discussed the upgrade of systems used by the Armed Forces and the Coast Guard.
Greek government spokesperson Giannis Oikonomou, during a presser after the meeting, told journalists Greece is dealing with Turkey’s behavior “calmly and decisively”.
