BRUSELAS, 26 Oct. (EUROPA PRESS) –
The European Commission has sent a message to Turkey on Wednesday to help apply sanctions against Russia “effectively”, after Ankara has been one of the main neighbors that has not aligned with the measures and allows its bypass.
In a speech at the EU-Turkey High-Level Business Dialogue in Istanbul, Enlargement and Neighborhood Commissioner Oliver Varhelyi pointed out that the war in Ukraine has repercussions beyond the country, warning that he is behind the rise in tensions geopolitical, political and commercial fragmentation and causes inflation and risk of social instability.
In this context, “it would be more essential than ever for the EU and Turkey to address these challenges together”, the Community Head of Neighborhood assessed. “We need strong allies like Turkey who are with us in confronting Russian aggression, including pressure to apply sanctions effectively,” he stressed.
The Hungarian politician is on a several-day trip to Turkey, in which the issue of European sanctions will be on the table in his meetings with the Turkish authorities. Community sources insist that the sanctions against Moscow and alignment with EU policy are “cornerstones” of the relationship with partner countries, more so in the case of Turkey, which has not adhered to the EU restrictions.
For its part, the European bloc has already warned that the current context is not the time to increase cooperation with Russia, after Ankara announced an agreement last week to be a hub for the redistribution of Russian gas to third countries.
The United States has also insisted on this issue in its contacts with Turkey, warning that the country cannot become a “sanctuary” for transactions with Russia and bypass Western sanctions.
The tension between Washington and Ankara has skyrocketed since the beginning of the Russian invasion due to the ambiguous role of the Turkish authorities. In the midst of the energy crisis, the Turkish Foreign Minister, Mevlut Cavusoglu, said that if the United States wants more production of barrels of crude oil and a drop in prices, it must lift the sanctions on Saudi Arabia, Venezuela or Iran.
