The President of the European Council and the leaders of Germany and Austria reiterated the European Union’s support of Greece and Cyprus amid the continuing escalations by Turkey in the Eastern Mediterranean.
They made their remarks following a special teleconference on Wednesday leading up to the extraordinary meeting scheduled for the end of September where the EU’s relationship with Turkey will be reviewed at much more depth.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel conveyed the concern of the European Council over the tensions in the Eastern Mediterranean as well as its staunch support of Greece and Cyprus during the teleconference. Germany holds the rotating presidency of the Council of the EU at present.
Every possible effort must be made to de-escalate the dangerous tension in the region, Merkel said at the end of the meeting, which primarily focused on Belarus. The Council, she added, expressed its solidarity with Greece and Cyprus regarding their maritime territorial rights.
The German chancellor also reiterated that September’s European Council will focus on the EU’s relations with Turkey, which she characterized as “something that has multiple facets, of course.”
Germany, she underscored, supports the restarting of dialogue on disagreements concerning the delineation of maritime borders between the two countries, a dialogue that continued until 2016. “From our point of view, it must restart, especially between Greece and Turkey,” Merkel stated, but expressed concern over the recent escalation while promising “we shall return to the issue in depth in September.”
Kurz: EU must take measures
Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz echoed her remarks, stating on Wednesday that the European Union was fully supportive of Greece and Cyprus, and he called on the EU for a clear reaction to Turkey’s aggressive behavior.
Following the teleconference, Kurz said in reference to the developments in the Mediterranean, “Europe cannot look away from these obvious violations of International Law.”
It is not enough for the EU to say things without acting upon them, he added; it must “strongly condemn Turkey’s actions and take specific measures against it.”
With information from AMNA
See all the latest news from Greece and the world at Greekreporter.com. Contact our newsroom to report an update or send your story, photos and videos. Follow GR on Google News and subscribe here to our daily email!
