Borrell: Turkey has scored 'undeniable successes' but not aligned with EU in foreign policy
Borrelll and Foreign Minister Çavuşoğlu met in Malta in August (Photo: AA)
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While Turkey has been drifting away from the European Union (EU) both in terms of domestic and foreign policies, it has been successful in the latter, according to the bloc's foreign policy chief, Joseph Borrelll.
"Turkey has become a regional power to be reckoned with and has scored undeniable successes," Borrelll said in an article published Friday (December 18), referring to Turkey's foreign military interventions.
"... be it in Syria and Iraq, in Libya, where it has turned the tables in very difficult moments for the Government of National Accord, or in Nagorno-Karabakh, where its support has resulted in a major victory for Azerbaijan," he said.
Turkey has sent military personnel and equipment to Libya in favor of the Tripoli-based government and openly supported Azerbaijan in the Karabakh conflict that started in late September.
However, Borrell noted, Turkey's international agenda and methods were not "well-aligned" with the EU, most notably in the Eastern Mediterranean, where Turkey has been at odds with Greece and Southern Cyprus because of its energy exploration activities.
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"These activities ... had led to the development of a specific regime of EU restrictive measures aimed at protecting Cypriot waters," said Borrelll. "Unfortunately, Turkish NAVTEX notifications and vessels such as the 'Oruc Reis' or the evocative 'Barbaros', had become household names in Brussels."
While the EU has supported its member states against Turkey in the Eastern Mediterranean crisis, it has avoided imposing heavy sanctions on Ankara so far.
Brussels and Ankara have to find a way out of "tit-for-tat dynamics" and get back to cooperation and trust, which was the message of the last two EU leaders' summit, Borrell said and added that he believed Turkey understood this better lately.
"Turkey's prosperity and security, as a NATO ally, requires a strong relationship with the EU. There are no sustainable alternatives to this. And a great part of its society, according to most recent polls, still looks towards the EU as an useful example for further development," he also noted.
"Still, the situation has not fundamentally improved. Hence, our overall assessment of the year must be negative. But we do also have a chance to redress things and this is what we must do," he said.
"There is a high probability that, if we continue in this downward spiral, the EU will have to adopt strong measures, to convince Turkey that it is serious and determined to ensure respect for our interests. I will report on this to European leaders in March 2021.
A strong cooperative relationship with Turkey would constitute a major contribution to European stability. Likewise, it will be difficult for Turkey to find a better partner than the EU."
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According to Borrelll, the renewal of the dialogue between Greece and Turkey must be ensured and efforts for a solution in Cyprus should be restarted.
"Some may think that I am a dreamer and that this agenda simply cannot materialize. It will certainly not happen unless we try.
"Beyond clear steps from Turkey and a change of its negative actions and rhetoric of the last months, we need to find a way to get back to honest and effective dialogues and efforts, and strong engagement and commitment from all sides, including from the most-affected EU member states." (VK)