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For Paris, Ankara’s “calming statements” are not enough

 

Disagreements pile up between France and Turkey. Paris expects “actions” from Turkey ahead of the December European Council which will address the issue of new sanctions against Ankara, French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said on Sunday (November 22nd).

“It is not enough that for two or three days, we have seen soothing statements from the president (Recep Tayyip) Erdogan, we need acts”, he stressed in the program “Le Grand Jury RTL / Le Figaro / LCI “, while the Turkish leader on Saturday called on the European Union for dialogue. Among these expected acts, “there are some which are easy to do in the Eastern Mediterranean, in Libya, there are also which are easy to do in Nagorno-Karabakh,” he said.

“We have a lot of disagreements” with Ankara, recalled the French foreign minister, citing Ankara’s “expansionist will”, a “de facto policy” in Libya, Iraq and the eastern Mediterranean, “where they in fact attack two member countries of the European Union, Greece and Cyprus “, or” in Nagorno-Karabakh, where they are also sending Syrians “.

Sanctions could get tougher

“The European Union announced in October that it would check Turkey’s posture on these various subjects at the time of the European Council in December, in a few days. That’s when we will check commitments, “he concluded.

Turkey extended the Oruc Reis mission on Saturday until November 29, in a maritime area that it disputes with Greece, the discovery of vast gas fields whetting appetites. The presence of this ship has for several months raised tensions with the EU, which this month renewed sanctions against Ankara for one year and plans to tighten them.

On Saturday, in an address to the congress of his party, the AKP, Recep Tayyip Erdogan said he wanted “stronger cooperation with our European friends and allies.” “We do not see ourselves elsewhere than in Europe. We plan to build our future together with Europe,” assured the Islamo-conservative leader.

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