European Union leaders on Thursday made good on their promise to rebuke an increasingly erratic Turkish government over its recent provocations in the eastern Aegean and eastern Mediterranean.
A text issued at the end of a European Council in Brussels expresses the Union's "full solidarity with Cyprus and Greece... recalling its conclusions of October 2014 and the Declaration of September 21, 2005, the European Council urgently calls on Turkey to cease these actions and respect the sovereign right of Cyprus to explore and exploit its natural resources in accordance with EU and International Law.”
Additionally, the EU calls on Ankara to respect international law and good-neighborly relations, and to "normalize relations with all EU member-states, including the Republic of Cyprus.”
Turkey sent warships to Cyprus Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) to block exploratory drilling by a vessel owned by Italian multinational ENI, while continuing military provocations in the eastern Aegean, such as the ramming of a Greek coast guard vessel by a larger Turkish warship.
Additionally, on March a routine border incident on the land frontier between Greece and Turkey abruptly turned into a major diplomatic matter when two Greek servicemen that allegedly strayed into Turkish territory were arrested and still being held in pre-trial detention.
In a later reaction on Friday, Ankara called the EU statement "unacceptable".
"The statement that was issued contained unacceptable comments against our country, which serve the interests of Greece and the Greek Cypriots," Turkish foreign ministry spokesman Hami Aksoy told local reporters.
A EU-Turkey summit in the Bulgarian Black Sea port city of Varna, meanwhile, will see EU leaders meeting with Turkish President Tayyip Recep Erdogan.
