France urges Turkey to begin East Med talks or risk sanctions
France on Sunday urged Turkey to help create a “virtuous cycle” by embarking on talks with Greece over ongoing disputes the Eastern Mediterranean, before an emergency European Council meeting on September 24-25 where the escalating conflict in the region will be discussed.
“It’s up to the Turks to show that this matter… can be discussed,” French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian told France Inter radio, Agence-France Presse reported (AFP) on Sunday.
“If so, we can create a virtuous circle for all the problems on the table,” he said.
Le Drian stressed that European Union leaders have already discussed “the range of reprisals we could take with regards to Turkey” if Ankara refuses to cease illegal hydrocarbon surveys that have also been condemned by France.
An “entire series of measures” is on the table, he stressed.
“We are not short of options, and he knows that,” Le Drian said in reference to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, AFP said.
