Greece reiterates support for Turkey’s EU membership

Notwithstanding rising tension in the Eastern Mediterranean due to Turkey’s plans for offshore drilling operations in Cyprus’ exclusive economic zone (EEZ), Foreign Giorgos Katrougalos has reiterated Greece’s support for Turkey’s European Union ambitions.

“We’re among the few European countries that still believe in that,” Katrougalos said in an interview with Politico website referring to Turkey’s potential membership of the bloc.

“However, he went on, “they must first respect their obligations” including respect for international law and the rule of law and human rights.

The EU process is not formally frozen, but has been faltering in recent years, even before a wide-ranging purge by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkish society after the attempted putsch in 2016.

Also on Thursday, Turkey’s Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu complained that certain European governments have been obstructing the country’s path to membership “because the do not want to share power with Turkey.”

“If it is about technical barriers, we are ready to meet them,” he said during a visit to Riga, according to Turkey’s state-owned Anadolu agency.