Turkish aggressiveness, belligerence in east Med on the agenda of EU Council summit

Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis arrived in Brussels on Thursday to participate in an extraordinary European Council summit on foreign affairs, with a particular emphasis EU-Turkey relations and the latest Turkish-inspired tension in the eastern Mediterranean.

The military conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh, or Artsakh, will also be discussed.

In a letter to European leaders on Wednesday, Charles Michel, the president of the European Council, noted that “… Our objective is to create a space for a constructive dialogue with Turkey to achieve stability and security in the whole region, and to ensure full respect for the sovereignty and sovereign rights of all EU member states.”

He also warned that “…all options remain on the table” if Ankara does not engage constructively in talks.

According to DW, European leaders will attempt to hash out their differences and come up with a joint response for a series of foreign policy challenges confronting the bloc.

The report reminds that the EU’s tricky ties with Turkey will likely dominate the first night of the summit, given that Ankara is currently embroiled in a dangerous maritime standoff with EU members Greece and Cyprus, raising tensions in the eastern Mediterranean and fears of a full-blown conflict.

Greece and Cyprus are demanding the EU to take a tougher line on what they charge is illegal Turkish hydrocarbon exploration activities, meaning further sanctions, DW added.

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