27.12.2022
EN
Official Journal of the European Union
C 493/15 Tuesday 7 June 2022
40.
Welcomes the Turkish Government’s decision to ratify the Paris Climate Agreement, its pledge to become carbon neutral by 2053, and its announcement to adapt to the European Green Deal; considers the implementation of the European Green Deal an important opportunity for the EU and Turkey to align their trade and climate policy and calls for the EU to closely coordinate and support Turkey in this context for ambitious climate protection measures; notes the conducive role the EU agencies and the EU’s industrial alliances can play in the cooperation between the EU and Turkey on the green transformation; calls on Turkey to maintain progress in aligning with the EU directives and acquis relating to the environment and climate action; calls on the Turkish Government to follow up on its announcement and develop a national strategy and action plan to meaningfully reduce CO2 emissions; commends the work of environmental rights defenders and warns against the dire environmental impact of major public infrastructure projects; takes note of the beginning of construction of the Istanbul Canal in 2021 and underscores warnings from environmentalists and the Chamber of Environmental Engineers that the canal will imperil Istanbul’s tenuous water supply and devastate the surrounding ecosystem, including the natural equilibrium between the Black Sea and the Sea of Marmara; calls on the Turkish authorities to take immediate action to protect the Sea of Marmara and ban any infrastructure projects that would further contribute to pollution of the water body; welcomes, in this regard, the Turkish Government’s decision to grant the Sea of Marmara special environmental protection status; reiterates its call on the Turkish Government to halt its plans for the Akkuyu nuclear power plant and to consult with the governments of neighbouring countries over any further developments in the Akkuyu project, which will be located in a region prone to severe earthquakes, thereby posing a major threat not only to Turkey but also the Mediterranean region as a whole;
41.
Acknowledges that Turkey can pursue its own foreign policy in line with its interests and goals, but expects this policy to be defended through diplomacy and dialogue based on international law and, as a candidate country, to be increasingly aligned with that of the EU; is of the opinion that EU-Turkey cooperation in foreign and security policy is of fundamental importance and that future EU security structures, particularly in the neighbourhood, require strategic cooperation and improved communication with Turkey in order to be effective; believes that increased EU-Turkey cooperation can be achieved on multiple foreign policy areas such as on Ukraine and Afghanistan; recalls further that the EU and NATO remain the most reliable long-term partners for Turkey in international security cooperation and calls on Turkey to maintain political coherence in the fields of foreign and security policies in view of its role as a member of NATO and status as an EU candidate country; calls on the Turkish Government to handle Finland’s and Sweden’s NATO membership applications in good faith, to engage constructively in efforts to solve possible outstanding issues in line with EU values and legal requirements and to refrain from exerting any undue pressure in this process; regrets, in this context, the fact that of all candidate countries Turkey is the least aligned (14 %) with the common foreign and security policy (CFSP) and common security and defence policy (CSDP), and reiterates its call on Turkey to reverse this trend as a matter of priority given the great potential of joint action with regard to different challenges in the region and globally; notes with concern, in this regard, that Turkey’s foreign policy has clashed with the EU’s priorities under the CFSP in recent years, including as regards the Caucasus, Syria, Libya and Iraq;
42.
Commends the recent rapprochement between Turkey and Armenia with regard to the decision to start bilateral contacts, the appointment of special representatives and the resumption of flights between the two countries; considers this attempt a highly positive development which has a positive impact on prosperity and security in the region; encourages both sides to pursue these efforts with a view to fully normalising their relations and calls for the EU to actively support this process; encourages Turkey to pave the way for genuine reconciliation between the Turkish and Armenian peoples, including settling the dispute of the Armenian Genocide, and to fully respect its obligations to protect Armenian and other cultural heritage; expresses the hope that this may lead to a dynamic of normalisation of relations in the South Caucasus; further welcomes Turkey’s diplomatic efforts to normalise relations with various countries in the Middle East, especially Israel; encourages Turkey, once again, to recognise the Armenian Genocide;
43.
Notes that, despite some signs of de-escalation in the Eastern Mediterranean since the last report on Turkey, a new spike has recently been observed; remains fully aware that any positive dynamics can be easily reversed at any moment while the underlying issues remain unresolved; deplores, in this context, the recent statements by Turkish officials disputing Greece’s sovereignty over some of its islands, which are counterproductive and undermine the security environment in the area; continues to urge Turkey and all stakeholders involved to engage in a bona fide peaceful settlement of disputes and to refrain from any unilateral action or threats; continues, in particular, to call on all sides to show genuine collective engagement to negotiating the delimitation of exclusive economic zones (EEZs) and the continental shelf in good faith and in line with international rules and principles; condemns, in this regard, the harassment by Turkish warships of research vessels performing surveys within the EEZ delimitated by the Republic of Cyprus; condemns, furthermore, Turkey’s violations of Greek national airspace, including overflights of inhabited areas and territory, actions which violate both the sovereignty and sovereign rights of EU Member States in contravention of international law; expresses its total solidarity