Rising EU-Turkey tensions take center stage with Borrell visit to Ankara
With EU accession talks frozen, the bloc’s foreign policy chief faces the tough task of creating a new negotiation table for the bloc and Ankara to address rising tensions.
ISTANBUL — Tasked with addressing a growing list of grievances between European Union member states and Turkey, EU Foreign Policy Chief Josep Borrell wrapped up a two-day visit to Ankara Tuesday.
From migration to the Libyan war and conflicting resource claims in the eastern Mediterranean, Borrell sought to mediate rising EU-Turkey tensions on multiple fronts as some European leaders have criticized Ankara for taking increasingly unilateral actions at the bloc’s expense.
“Currently the situation is far from being ideal,” Borrell said in a joint press conference with Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu Tuesday. “There are many serious issues that require our immediate attention.”
The visit comes ahead of two key debates next week by the European Parliament and the EU Foreign Affairs Council regarding Turkey’s recent actions in the region after French officials voiced the possibility of imposing new sanctions on Ankara for its gas drilling activities near Cyprus.
