According to the information obtained by AA correspondent, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, in the letter sent to the members of the European Union (EU) excluding Greece and the Greek Cypriot Administration of Southern Cyprus (GASC), reminded that Turkey-EU relations and the progress of these relations have always been one of the top priorities for Turkey and that very important progress has been made during the AK Party period.
Stating that Turkey-EU relations have also experienced difficult challenges for more than 60 years, Erdoğan noted the following:
“Recently, our relations are facing a new challenge due to the developments in the Eastern Mediterranean. With this letter, I would like to convey to you Turkey’s approach to the Eastern Mediterranean and its proposals for solving the problems. Our Eastern Mediterranean policy has two main objectives. The first is to delimit the maritime jurisdiction areas in the Eastern Mediterranean in accordance with international law, in an equitable and fair manner and to protect our sovereign rights and authorities in our continental shelf. Our second objective is to guarantee the equal rights and interests of the Turkish Cypriots, as equal partners of the island of Cyprus, on the hydrocarbon resources of the island.
Within the framework of these goals, Turkey wishes the Eastern Mediterranean to be a region of cooperation where all parties cooperate, hydrocarbon resources are shared fairly and equitably, and peace and stability prevail. Just as coal and steel were the starting point of the EU, we hope that hydrocarbons will be the basis for a solution in Cyprus and the formation of a great EU.”
“Greece and the SCGA, not Turkey, are to blame for tensions”
Emphasizing that the cause of the ongoing tension in the Eastern Mediterranean is not Turkey, but Greece and the Greek Cypriot Administration, President Erdoğan said, “The situation we have reached today has been caused by the Greek-Greek duo ignoring Turkey and the Turkish Cypriots, taking unilateral steps, creating fait accompli and the EU’s watching since 2003. The SCGA, which was made a member of the EU without resolving the Cyprus issue, made maritime border agreements with neighboring countries in 2003, 2007 and 2010 by ignoring the Turkish Cypriots, determined license areas in 2007, opened international tenders and carried out its first drilling in 2011.”
Noting that Greece, together with the Greek Cypriot Administration of Southern Cyprus (GASC), has been trying to impose its maximalist maritime border claims (Seville Map), which aim to confine Turkey to the Gulf of Antalya, on Turkey by using the EU, claiming that these borders are the national and EU’s external maritime borders, Erdoğan said in his letter: “Not content with these, the Greek/Greek duo has established a mechanism under the name of the Eastern Mediterranean Gas Forum against Turkey and the Turkish Cypriots, and has also established trilateral and quadrilateral cooperation mechanisms with countries in the region against Turkey. Turkey, on the other hand, has focused on diplomacy to protect both its own and Turkish Cypriot rights in the Eastern Mediterranean, but when our calls for dialogue and cooperation did not yield results, it started to take steps in the field in 2018 after waiting for 7 years.”
“The demand to stop hydrocarbon activities is unfair and unjust…”
Stating that Turkey advocates the delimitation of maritime jurisdiction areas in the Eastern Mediterranean in accordance with international law, in a fair and just manner, President Erdoğan continued as follows:
“To this end, I would like to emphasize once again that we are ready for dialogue with Greece without preconditions. In this context, I would like to draw your attention to the fact that we have supported the NATO Secretary General’s initiative to separate the naval and air elements in order to reduce tensions from the very beginning. On the other hand, Turkish Cypriots and Greek Cypriots, as co-founders of the collapsed Republic of Cyprus and co-owners of the island, need to establish a cooperation mechanism on hydrocarbon resources, including equitable revenue sharing. For the establishment of such a cooperation mechanism, there is no need to wait for the resolution of the Cyprus issue. This is because both sides on the island are operating through international oil companies in the license areas they have identified. Only the two peoples of the island should decide together whether to stop or continue these activities.
I also believe that the establishment of an inclusive energy cooperation forum in the Eastern Mediterranean that would bring together all parties, including the Turkish Cypriots, would be extremely beneficial. Turkey is ready to provide all kinds of support to the steps to be taken in this direction.
I hope that the EU will support our views, abandon its biased attitude towards Turkey as a candidate country, and not unconditionally and unjustifiably support the maximalist theses of Greece and the SCGA. This biased attitude of the EU towards my country is contrary to the EU acquis and international law. This biased stance complicates the solution, increases tensions and harms Turkey-EU relations and our common interests in many areas. We expect the EU to remain neutral, treat everyone equally and support dialogue and cooperation. Asking Turkey and Turkish Cypriots to stop hydrocarbon activities in the Eastern Mediterranean without taking the steps I mentioned above is an unfair and unjust demand.”
“We also did not give in to the maximalist demands imposed through the EU”
On the other hand, President Erdoğan emphasized that Greece’s response to Turkey’s goodwill on this issue at the end of July, upon the request of EU Presidency Germany, with the delimitation agreement it signed with Egypt on August 6, increased mistrust and made the following statements in his letter:
“No one should expect Turkey, which has the longest coastline in the Eastern Mediterranean, to be confined to its own territorial waters while the Eastern Mediterranean countries rapidly continue their hydrocarbon programs and activities, while alliances of evil against Turkey continue, while the Turkish Cypriots are ignored.
We have always been ready for dialogue and cooperation. We have not succumbed to the maximalist demands imposed on us through the EU. We do not covet the rights of any country. However, we have protected and will continue to protect both our own rights and the rights of the Turkish Cypriots as a guarantor country. Finding a just and peaceful solution to the Eastern Mediterranean issues is a shared responsibility of all of us. For this purpose, cooperation and dialogue should be supported and steps and decisions that will further aggravate the current crisis should be avoided.
Our sincere desire is to update the March 18th Memorandum taking into account the conditions of the day and to progressively advance Turkey-EU relations in all aspects in line with our common interests. I believe that this can only be achieved by recognizing the vital importance of our relations for our common interests in many different areas such as illegal migration, terrorism, trade, energy and I look forward to your valuable support for this purpose.”
Source: https://www.aa.com.tr/tr/politika/cumhurbaskani-erdogandan-ab-liderlerine-mektup/1990255
