BRUSELAS, 24 Oct. (EUROPA PRESS) –
The European Union has warned Turkey on Monday that in the midst of the war in Ukraine “this is not the time to increase cooperation with Russia”, after Ankara announced an agreement last week to be an axis for the redistribution of gas Russian to third countries.
“In the context of Russian aggression and repeated violations of International Law, things cannot go as usual with Russia and this is not the time to increase cooperation with Russia,” the bloc’s foreign spokesman told Europa Press. Peter Stano.
The Turkish president, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, confirmed an agreement with his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, so that Russian gas reaches Turkish territory on European soil, on the shores of the Black Sea, and takes advantage of the Turkstream infrastructure, which according to Putin It is today the most reliable gas pipeline for exports.
Precisely this Wednesday the Enlargement Commissioner, Oliver Varhelyi, travels to Ankara for a several-day mission in which he will be able to discuss these issues with the Turkish authorities. Community sources insist that the sanctions against Russia 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.
The United States has already insisted on this issue in its contacts with Turkey, warning that the country cannot become a “sanctuary” for transactions with Moscow, and bypass Western sanctions on Russia.
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.
