Greek PM calls on EU for ‘tough’ sanctions against Turkey
Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis called on European Union leaders on Friday to take a “clear” position and institute “tough sanctions” against Turkey in response to Ankara’s mounting aggression against Greece and Cyprus.
According to a Greek government source, Mitsotakis called for measures to rein in Ankara during the ongoing EU summit in Brussels aimed at negotiating the parameters of a post-coronavirus recovery fund.
Referring to Turkish transgressions in the Eastern Mediterranean in a brief address to EU leaders, the Greek prime minister reportedly stressed that Turkey cannot be permitted to violate the sovereign rights of two member-states without meeting with a strong reaction.
Mitsotakis also referred to the Turkish government’s provocative decision to convert the UNESCO World Heritage site of Hagia Sophia into a mosque, saying that it demonstrates Ankara’s regard for international agreements, the notion of mutual respect and interfaith dialogue.
He also asked that EU-Turkey relations be discussed at greater length at the next meeting of the European Council, the government source was quoted by the Athens-Macedonian News Agency as saying.
Cyprus President Nicos Anastasiades also commented on EU-Turkey relations with a post on Twitter on Friday.
“Whenever Turkey violates international law and undermines the vital interests of the EU and its Members States, the Union should respond collectively and decisively in concrete terms,” he wrote.
