Med7 summit in Corsica: hand extended to Turkey, threatened with sanctions
Emmanuel Macron opens the Med7 summit with six other Mediterranean countries on September 10, 2020. Ludovic Marin / Pool via REUTERS
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The seven Mediterranean countries gathered this Thursday, September 10 in Corsica call on Turkey for dialogue and brandish threats of sanctions bluntly if Ankara persists in its "hegemonic game" in the Mediterranean.
But the latter reacted sharply.
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In Porticcio, on the Isle of Beauty, the final communiqué of the Med7 summit, which brought together Spain, Greece, Italy, the islands of Cyprus and Malta and Portugal in Corsica under the aegis of France, blows hot and cold in a still abrasive context between France, Greece and Turkey.
French President Emmanuel Macron and his six southern EU counterparts on Thursday urged Turkey to end its policy of
"
confrontation
"
in the eastern Mediterranean.
The final declaration raises the specter of European sanctions if Ankara continues to challenge the gas exploration rights of Greece and Cyprus in the area.
“
We argue that if Turkey does not move forward on the path of dialogue and end its unilateral activities, the EU is ready to draw up a list of additional restrictive measures that could be discussed at the European Council of 24 and September 25, 2020
”, agreed the seven leaders in the final declaration of the Med7 summit.
European leaders will have "
no other choice
" than to impose "
significant sanctions
" on Turkey if it "
refuses to listen to reason
", had already hammered the Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis before the summit.
We discussed the stability in the Eastern Mediterranean, the escalation of tensions and the provocative attitude of Turkey which challenges the sovereignty and sovereign rights of two member countries of the European Union, and which continues to find themselves in conflict. illegally in the territory of an EU member country, Cyprus.
Turkey seems to want less and less dialogue.
And I believe that point 6 of our press release sends a very clear message to Turkey: if it really wants a sincere dialogue with Greece, with Cyprus and with the EU, it must prove it to us: it must stop all unilateral action. and show that it respects international law in its entirety and not selectively.
And so stop the provocation and start the dialogue.
This is what we want.
Before September 24 and the European summit, we do not want to be divided, to fall into the trap of division into which Turkey wants to drag us.
Turkey must stop its research and all unilateral activity, it must stop its aggressive rhetoric, return to the negotiating table from which it withdrew in 2016. And of course if this constructive dialogue cannot move forward, there is always the International Tribunal in The Hague.
K. Mitsotakis (Greek Prime Minister)
Anne Soetemondt
Citing Turkey but also Russia, President Macron once again denounced the “
hegemonic game of historic powers
” in the Mediterranean, from Libya to Syria.
France,
particularly defensive against Turkey
, just like Greece, still have to convince sometimes cautious European partners about the advisability of a response while Ankara regularly threatens to use the migratory lever against the EU .
“
Europe must have a more united and clearer voice
” against Turkey, Emmanuel Macron said before the summit, calling for “
firmness
” in the face of “
unacceptable behavior
”.
Turkey "
is no longer a partner in this region
",
he added
, while underlining his "
deep wish
" to "
re-engage in a fruitful dialogue
".
France claims to benefit from "
growing
"
support
within the EU against Turkey, after having found itself quite isolated on this issue at NATO.
There are "
real risks of destabilization of the Mediterranean because of threats from Turkey
", added his Cypriot counterpart Nicos Anastasiades, calling on the EU to "
use all the means
" at its disposal to "
avoid a catastrophic conflict for the whole region
”.
Macron, a “Napoleon on the campaign trail”
The Turkish presidency immediately retaliated against the French president, joking about the “
alleged Napoleon and his Mediterranean campaign
” in a tweet from its communications director.
The Turkish Foreign Ministry denounced for its part the "
arrogant statements, in an old colonialist reflex
" of the French president, accusing him of "
endangering
" the interests of Europe.
By the September 24-25 summit, the Europeans hope to push Turkey to discuss the terms of an agreement with Greece under German mediation.
“
We want to send a clear message for genuine dialogue.
We believe that this authentic dialogue is possible, we believe that it is possible to follow the path of de-escalation
”, declared the head of the Spanish government, Pedro Sanchez, in an extended hand in Ankara.
"
These negotiations could not resume at the end of August since the Turks did not return to the negotiating table
", underlined the Elysee.
Discussions should notably focus on the elimination of exclusive zones in the eastern Mediterranean.
Turkey for its part urges the EU to remain "
impartial
", assuring that the threat of sanctions will "
not
help
to solve the problem
".
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