Foreign Minister sends letters to EU counterparts ahead of meeting 

2020-08-14 12:05:58


	 

	NEWS CENTER - EU foreign ministers will discuss the Eastern Mediterranean issue in an extraordinary meeting.

	 

	Minister of Foreign Affairs Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu has sent letters to European Union (EU) foreign ministers and EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell about recent developments in the Eastern Mediterranean and Turkey's approach on the issue.

	 

	The letters came ahead of an EU Foreign Relations Council meeting today Greece's request.

	 

	The High Representative of the EU for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Josep Borrell, announced yesterday that an extraordinary meeting would be held regarding the situation in the Eastern Mediterranean, Belarus and Lebanon.

	 

	In his letter, Çavuşoğlu said that Greece and Southern Cyprus's "unilateral steps and alliances" excluded Turkey, in spite of calls for collaboration and dialogue by Ankara and Northern Cyprus.

	 

	He also claimed that the maritime agreement between Greece and Egypt, which he said violated Turkey and Lebanon's continental shelves, demonstrated Greece's reluctance to "start an honest dialogue with Turkey."

	 

	"Turkey-EU relations should not suffer further due to the whims and fantasies of Greece and Greek Cypriots," he added.

	 

	Çavuşoğlu invited EU countries to stand against any unjust decision that might be taken against Turkey, which has proven its good intentions until now many times.

	 

	He also held phone talks with some EU foreign ministers, including from Bulgaria, Estonia, Finland, Italy, Lithuania, Hungary and Romania, and with EU foreign policy chief Borrell discussing these issues.

	 

	Similar letters are also being sent to UN General Secretary Antonio Guterres, UN Security Council permanent members' foreign ministers and NATO General Secretary Jens Stoltenberg.