Debate: Preparation of the Special European Council, focusing on the dangerous escalation and the role of Turkey in the Eastern-Mediterranean
Date: TUESDAY, 15 SEPTEMBER 2020
Speaker: Josep Borrell Fontelles
Language: EN

It is clear to me that we have to stand by our interests and demonstrate our readiness to protect the rights and interests of the European Union and especially the ones of Cyprus and Greece, which has been threatened. In our Gymnich meeting in Berlin we got a political agreement and now we are trying to make this particular agreement become a decision, a formal decision at the Foreign Affairs Council. The working group at the Council are engaged on that. Unhappily, today there is no agreement. You know that sanctions require strong agreements between Member States, unanimity in some cases, and this for the time being is not the case. We will continue working in order to find a solution that could make possible both sanctions on Belarus and sanctions on Turkey, to follow the same base as we agreed in the informal meeting in Berlin.  But, at the same time, it has also been expressed here that a minimum of trust and dialogue with Turkey has to be pursued in order to stop the escalation. I do think both things are contradictory. We have on the one hand to show our readiness and our stance, and on the other to continue talking. This is the work of diplomacy and that we are trying to do, especially I myself with the help of the External Action Service – to look for ways to work through our problems and improve our relations. I cannot answer all the questions that you have been raising.  I would only like to say to Mr Lagodinsky and others that I share very much their approach to try to substitute the search for energy in those seas, which is something that we know that it is not exactly in accordance with our Green Deal, and instead of that we should try to provide to Cyprus, Turkey and the Greek islands big support in order to develop alternatives energies. The sun is there. The wind is there. All the natural resources that we want to mobilise in order to provide cleaner and decarbonised energy are there. I think that one of the ways to try to solve the problem is that we would like to stop looking for carbon energies – and although gas is a ‘less—carbon’ one it is still a carbon one – and to look for another solution. This will be part of the solution. At the same time, you claim here decisions that are outside my capacity and the capacity of the Council. Like, for example, the arms issue. it is a matter for the Member States and all of you can influence the attitude of your Member States through the national parliaments. I’m sure that the voices that have been expressed here at the European Parliament will also be heard at the national parliaments, and the political parties that you represent will ask at national level the same thing that you have been asking, here because the answer has to come from Member States. The European Union has not the capacity, for example, to decide an arms embargo. it is a unilateral decision of the Member States to decide what to do with their arms policy. About the resources that we have been providing to Turkey, as some have been mentioning, I want to make the difference between the resources that we allocate to Turkey and the resources that we allocate to help Syrian and other refugees being hosted by Turkey. These are different things. This money goes to provide schools and health care and social security, and even food, for hundreds of thousands of the refugees that are in Turkey. So the money in some cases goes through the Turkish Government, but in most of the cases it goes directly to the interested people through NGOs and through United Nations organisations. I suppose that everybody here will be in favour of giving financial support to alleviate the situation of the refugees being hosted in Turkey. Please make the difference, because these are completely different things. Thank you very much for all your contributions. I understand that there are strong feelings about the Turkey issue, Turkish membership. Our relations with Turkey are, as I said, at a watershed moment. It is one of those moments in history where decision—makers have to go and face difficult decisions, trying to look for the best for all of us. I am sure that this is what the European Union Council will try to do at the next meeting.