Ankara: Turkey and the European Union, following a turbulent year in 2020, have been voicing their intent to readjust relations and return to a positive track in bilateral ties. Yet the process remains highly fragile as EU leaders declared last week that they are prepared to boost trade and extend a 2016 migration pact with Ankara, but warned of sanctions if Turkey resumes what the EU perceives as “illegal” energy exploration in the Eastern Mediterranean.
“The EU seeks to apply a carrot and stick policy towards Turkey and the same was on display in the last summit,” Dimitris Tsarouhas, associate professor from Bilkent University’s International Relations Department told media. “The positive agenda between the two sides is contingent on Turkey’s (so-called) ‘behavior’ regarding the Eastern Mediterranean,” he added.
In the most recent flare-up of the long-standing dispute last year, EU member states Greece and the Greek Cypriot administration clashed with Turkey over maritime boundaries and natural gas reserves in the Eastern Mediterranean. Turkey, the country with the longest coastline on the Eastern Mediterranean, has sent drillships with a military escort to explore for energy on its continental shelf, to enforce Turkey and the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC)’s rights in the region. –PNP
