The European Union will avoid imposing sanctions on Turkey, despite rising tensions between Ankara and other Mediterranean nations.
Turkey, Greece and Cyprus have been at odds over the former's exploration of energy resources in parts of Eastern Mediterranean waters that both Athens and Nicosia claim are part of their own territory.At a summit of south European countries on Thursday, French President Emmanuel Macron said the aim was "to rediscover the dialogue with Turkey, without naivety and in good faith.
The dispute, which goes back over four decades, has escalated in recent weeks. Turkey's pursuit to expand its oil and gas resources in the Eastern Mediterranean even resulted in a minor collision between two frigates last month. "Leaders cannot do anything else but reinstate their solidarity with Greece," Marc Pierini, a former EU ambassador to Turkey, told CNBC earlier this month.Turkey's economy has struggled in recent years and the global recession has added further pressure to the embattled nation. In addition, the political party of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has lost its traditional dominance in the country.
This is another occasion that forces the EU to think what a forward-looking relationship with Turkey would look like.Turkish officials have asked the European Union to mediate the situation in an honest way, rather than siding with Greece and Cyprus, according to Euronews.
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