At last week’s EU Summit, EU leaders have expressed deep concern over Turkey’s recent actions towards in particular Greece, stating:
“The European Council expressed deep concern about recent repeated actions and statements by Turkey. Turkey must respect the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all EU member states. Recalling its previous conclusions and the statement of 25 March 2021, the European Council expects Turkey to fully respect international law, to de-escalate tensions in the interest of regional stability in the Eastern Mediterranean, and to promote good neighbourly relations in a sustainable way.”
Agreed #EUCO Conclusions on Turkey. PM @kmitsotakis and I briefed colleagues about Turkish aggressive behavior and continued illegal actions in 🇨🇾 #Varosha / other fait accomplis / inadmissible insistence on a two-state solution & 🇬🇷 #Aegean. pic.twitter.com/PXuKOzexwY
— Nicos Anastasiades (@AnastasiadesCY) June 23, 2022
Both NATO countries Turkey and Greece are disputing islands in the Aegean Sea, with Turkey accusing Greece of the “militarisation” of some islands. Two years ago, both sides nearly got into a military conflict.
A visit by Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis to the United States last month, where he urged to reconsider arms sales to Turkey, angered Turkish President Erdogan, who stated that he would not meet again the Greek side until an “honest politician” was in front of him. This was followed by a large-scale Turkish military manoeuvre.
On a recent visit to Cyprus, Greek PM Mitsotakis stressed the importance of diplomacy, saying that the channels of communication with Turkey need to remain open.
“I believe that this approach is the correct one and that we will quickly come back to calmer waters… It is my view and always has been that even at the most difficult of times they should never close,” he said.
Picture: Turkish President Erdogan. Copyright: By President.gov.ua, CC BY 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=118235878