Emmanuel Macron at the Med7 summit, September 10, 2020. -

Ludovic Marin / AP / SIPA

European neighbors show their unity.

French President Emmanuel Macron and his six southern EU counterparts on Thursday urged Turkey to cease its policy of "confrontation" in the eastern Mediterranean, raising 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 which 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 (France, Greece, Italy, Spain, Cyprus, Malta, Spain, Portugal) which was held on the French island of Corsica.

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.

French ships deployed

Greece and Cyprus are on the front line against Turkey, which claims the right to exploit hydrocarbon deposits in a maritime area that Athens considers to be under its sovereignty, claiming, with its counterparts, that Ankara violates the law .

In recent weeks, these countries have shown their muscles with martial declarations, military maneuvers and sending ships to the area.

France has clearly shown its support for Greece by deploying warships and fighter jets in the region, an initiative strongly denounced by the Turkish president.

Citing Turkey but also Russia, President Macron once again denounced Thursday the "hegemonic game of historic powers" in the Mediterranean, from Libya to Syria, and pleaded for a "Pax Mediterranea".

"So-called Napoleon"

France, particularly offensive against Turkey, just like Greece must still convince sometimes cautious European partners on 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, insisted Emmanuel Macron before the summit, calling for "firmness" in the face of "unacceptable behavior".

The Turkish presidency immediately replied 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.

Discussions should focus on the delimitation of exclusive zones in the eastern Mediterranean.

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