Role of Turkey in the Eastern Mediterranean: Remarks by the High

This debate is very timely, I have to say that tensions continued to rise over the summer.

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https://eeas.europa.eu/headquarters/headquarters-homepage/85128/role-turkey-eastern-mediterranean-remarks-high-representative-vice-president-josep-borrell-ep_enhttps://eeas.europa.eu/headquarters/headquarters-homepage/85128/role-turkey-eastern-mediterranean-remarks-high-representative-vice-president-josep-borrell-ep_en
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Wednesday, September 16, 2020
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Countries, Western Asia, Geography of Asia, Eastern Mediterranean, Turkey
Summary
Key Points: 
  • This debate is very timely, I have to say that tensions continued to rise over the summer.
  • Because as the Presidency said, we are not going to solve it by military means, but through dialogue and negotiations.
  • We will continue next week at the Foreign Affairs Council on Monday and then at the European Council at the end of the month.
  • All that is good and needed, because the situation in the Eastern Mediterranean requires urgent and collective engagement.
  • This is a basic element to allow the dialogue to advance -well, better, to start.
  • My colleagues, the European Union Foreign Ministers, were very clear about the possible consequences in the absence of progress in engaging with Turkey.
  • The European Council will consider these in the light of the most recent developments by the time they meet.
  • The world will go one side or the other, depending on what is going to happen on the next days.
  • We still fail to see Turkey delivering on its promises to take effective measures on strengthening the independence and impartiality of the judiciary.
  • But it is clear that developments in Turkey and Turkeys actions in the Eastern Mediterranean and beyond put into question how our relations will develop in the future.
  • And I suppose that everybody here will be in favour of giving financial support to alleviate the situation of the refugees who are being hosted in Turkey.
  • I am sure that this is what the European Council will try to do at the next meeting.
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