France and Germany accused Turkey today, Thursday, of continuing to provoke the European Union with its moves in the eastern Mediterranean region, giving it a week to clarify its position. This comes after Ankara announced the resumption of operations of the "Aruj Reis" ship in the eastern Mediterranean.
And French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian warned that the European Union may resort to imposing sanctions against Ankara if it continues to provoke its neighbors and does not respect the sovereignty of Greece and Cyprus.
Le Drian added, before the start of the Weimar Triangle meeting, which includes France, Germany and Poland, that the European position on tensions in the eastern Mediterranean is clear, and that the Europeans reject what he described as Turkish policies based on imposing a fait accompli, as he described it.
He threatened and refused
He said that the basis for relations between Turkey and its neighbors should be dialogue and respect for maritime laws, adding that the ball is in Ankara's court, but the European Union is ready to change the balance of power if Turkey does not return to the dialogue.
For his part, German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said that Turkey's decision to return the ship to the Mediterranean is "unacceptable."
In response to a question about the possibility of imposing European Union sanctions, he said that the bloc will make a decision on how to act in the coming weeks.
"The expected discussions were not held twice, and we do not know when they will take place. We have to wait to see if there is progress in the coming weeks, and then we will see what position the European Union should take," he added.
Position and responses
Yesterday, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that Turkey would give Greece and Cyprus "the response they deserve" in the eastern Mediterranean. This coincided with Ankara's announcement that the exploration ship Aruj Reis had arrived at the place where it would carry out its duties.
Erdogan added that another ship would go to explore the eastern Mediterranean, saying that Ankara had defended its rights and ensured that no plan would be implemented with an exception for Turkey in the eastern Mediterranean.
He also said, "We will announce, during a visit to the Al-Fateh ship to explore in the Black Sea next Saturday, the amount of new gas discovered."
Greece had announced that it would not participate in exploratory talks with Turkey regarding de-escalation in the eastern Mediterranean, if the ship continued in its duties.
For its part, the United States criticized Turkey's decision to return the ship, accusing it of unilaterally stoking tension and "intentionally" complicating the resumption of talks with Greece.