A solution to the Eastern Mediterranean conflict can only be ensured through equal sharing of resources, Parliament Speaker Mustafa Şentop stated Thursday, underlining during a symposium that Turkey keeps the door to dialogue open to seek the solution of problems.
“The European Union has to choose between being condemned to a restrictive approach in regional issues with the provocations of Greece and the Greek Cypriot administration or between future-changing possibilities,” Şentop said at a symposium on the role of Parliament in the solution to the Eastern Mediterranean conflict.
“I’d like to hope that no decision that would contribute to the trust crisis between Turkey and the European Union will be made,” Şentop stated as EU heads of states and governments will convene in Brussels to patch over internal disagreements to offer a united front for external challenges, including the Eastern Mediterranean dispute.
Sanctions against Turkey over controversial Mediterranean seismic exploration are expected to be discussed.
Greece, with France's support, has disputed Turkey's energy exploration, trying to box in Turkish maritime territory based on small islands near the Turkish coast.
Turkey, which has the longest continental coastline in the Eastern Mediterranean, has rejected the maritime boundary claims of Greece and the Greek Cypriot administration, stressing that these excessive claims violate the sovereign rights of both Turkey and the Turkish Cypriots.
In recent months, Turkey has sent several drillships to explore for energy resources in the Eastern Mediterranean, asserting its own rights in the region, as well as those of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC).
Turkish leaders have repeatedly stressed that Ankara is in favor of resolving all outstanding problems in the region through international law, good neighborly relations, dialogue and negotiation. Yet, Turkey has also criticized the EU’s stance on the Eastern Mediterranean conflict, calling on the bloc to adopt a fair attitude regarding the dispute and give up on favoring Greece under the pretext of EU solidarity.
“Disagreements on territorial waters, the disarmament of the islands and airspace in the Aegean are also part of the Eastern Mediterranean problem,” Şentop pointed out.
Şentop said that although all these problems originate from the sharing of energy resources, they are also linked to a greater struggle for influence in countries such as Syria, Libya and Lebanon.
“We cannot explain Turkey’s presence in the Eastern Mediterranean solely in terms of strategic resources and legitimate rights. Turkey is also there to ensure a fair sharing on the basis of peace,” he added.
Turkey and Greece have been holding NATO-led deconfliction talks to contribute to the solution of the conflict, but the latter has been keeping all channels of dialogue closed.
The NATO mechanism was designed to reduce the risk of incidents and accidents in the Eastern Mediterranean and includes the creation of a hotline between Athens and Ankara to facilitate resolving conflicts at sea or in the air.
