​​​​​​​EU stands in solidarity with Greece: Turkey violates international law

After the exceptional meeting held by the European Council via telephone, which focused on the situation in Belarus on Wednesday, the Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said according to a report by the Greek website "Cape Talking Chris" that Europe should practice double standards regarding its dealings with Belarus and Turkey, especially in the areas of Human rights and law enforcement."

Mitsotakis referred to the latest developments in the eastern Mediterranean, and the Greco-Egyptian agreement on maritime areas, as Mitsotakis considered the maritime agreement between Cairo and Athens "completely legal, and a model agreement in contrast to Turkey's pursuit of a policy that violates all the rules of international law."

He said that Turkey's illegal behavior in the eastern Mediterranean, including surveys on the Greek continental shelf poses a threat to the European security.

The President of the European Council and the leaders of Germany and Austria also renewed the European Union's support for Greece and Cyprus in Turkey's increasing escalation in the eastern Mediterranean.

The German Chancellor Angela Merkel quoted the European Council's concern about the tension in the eastern Mediterranean and its support for Greece and Cyprus.

Merkel said: "Every effort must be made to de-escalate the dangerous tension in the region, and the Council expressed its solidarity with Greece and Cyprus regarding their rights."

She stressed that Germany supports the resumption of the dialogue on the differences related to the demarcation of the maritime borders between the two countries, a dialogue that continued until 2016."

She said: "From our point of view, it should start again, especially between Greece and Turkey," but she expressed her concern about the escalation and said: "We will return to the issue in depth in September."

In turn, the Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz said that the European Union fully supports Greece and Cyprus, and called for the European Union to respond clearly to Turkey's aggressive behavior.

Kurz added: "Europe cannot ignore these clear violations of international law, and it must strongly condemn Turkey's actions and take specific measures against it."

The Council's Chairman Charles Michel said his role in a statement issued after the conference call: "We are increasingly concerned about the increasing tensions, and we stressed the urgent need for de-escalation, expressed our full solidarity with Greece and Cyprus, and confirmed our previous conclusions regarding the illegal drilling activities carried out by Turkey, and we agreed to return to these issues during our meeting in September, and all options will be on the table."

Before his meeting with Merkel later in the day, the French President Emmanuel Macron described the current Turkish regime as "a mixture of Islamism and nationalism, and it pursues a policy aimed at destabilizing the entire Mediterranean."

Macron said: "Europe must take the necessary measures to pursue Erdogan's policy in particular," adding that "Europe must see the facts and assume its responsibilities."

The European foreign ministers will hold an informal meeting on August 27^th, and the European Council will hold an extraordinary session on its relations with Turkey on September 24^th-25^th.

D.H