“The imposition of sanctions on Turkey is not a matter of solidarity to Greece and Cyprus. It is a matter of credibility for the European Union,” Alternate Minister of Foreign Affairs Miltiadis Varvitsiotis stressed to his European counterparts during his remarks at today’s meeting of the EU General Affairs Council, which convened via videoconference to prepare for the EU Summit Meeting. More specifically, Mr. Varvitsiotis explained that, in October, the European Union presented Turkey with the conditions under which dialogue might succeed. However, he said, two and a half months later, Turkey continues its unilateral actions and provocations, ignoring the reality of the unanimous decisions taken by the October European Council. And now, the Alternate Minister noted, Europe is called upon to decide how it will respond to Turkey. In other words, whether it will function as a credible international player that stands by the decisions it made in October, or whether it will take a step back, yielding to Turkey’s revisionism. “It would be a big mistake for us to back down from what we decided. Not just for Greece and Cyprus, but for the credibility of Europe,” he commented. In the same context, Mr. Varvitsiotis made special reference to the issue of the arms embargo on Turkey, stressing that “we cannot fight, we cannot feel secure if our partners continue to supply Turkey with military equipment that increases the threat Turkey poses to the region’s stability and Greece’s sovereignty.” So as not to find ourselves in the unpleasant position of having to defend ourselves against European weapons, he continued, it is time for Europe to proceed to an embargo. And, to erase any doubt, Mr. Varvitsiotis reminded his colleagues that Canada – Turkey’s NATO ally – has already proceeded to a relevant arms embargo on Turkey, while the U.S. has excluded Turkey from co-production of F-35s. “Thus, it is time for Europe to do the same and to send a clear message that it will not tolerate any military activity aimed against its member states,” he underscored. Finally, Mr. Varvitsiotis expressed his satisfaction at everything achieved thus far by the European Union in terms of its response to the pandemic, and particularly on the matter of the vaccination, while on the topic of climate change, which was also discussed by the European Affairs Minister, he underscored that an ambitious policy in this area can serve as a catalyst for innovation and growth.
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