French President Emmanuel Macron expressed his solidarity with Cyprus and Greece in a message posted on Facebook written in Greek.
“Europe needs to take a thorough look at security issues in the Mediterranean. I will soon convene a conference of the countries of the European Union’s South,” he posted.
“In the Mediterranean, energy and security issues are of fundamental importance. They are turned into an object of controversy by forces that are increasingly emerging, and against which the EU still has little influence. Europe must defend its sovereignty,” Macron added.
https://www.facebook.com/EmmanuelMacron/posts/2842476725984895
Regarding Turkey’s provocative actions: “Let’s not leave our safety in the Mediterranean in the hands of others. Once again, I want to express France’s full solidarity to Cyprus and Greece against Turkish violations of their sovereign rights. We must not accept any threat to the maritime space of an EU member state.”
Macron concluded by saying “In Libya, we cannot let other forces violate the arms embargo. Operation Irini is one of Europe’s answers. It needs to be strengthened further.”
https://www.facebook.com/tsiprasalexis/posts/10158702179768054
Main opposition SYRIZA leader Alexis Tsipras welcomed Macron’s initiative to convene the EU Southern Summit again, “at this critical time for the Eastern and Central Mediterranean.”
The former PM on Facebook posted that “when we took the initiative with François Hollande to establish the South EU Summit four years ago in Athens, we did it because we knew that the need for cooperation between us is a condition not only for friendship and co-development but also for security.”
Tsipras also congratulated the French President’s fluent Greek.
#BREAKING France loses neutrality, chance to contribute to stability with every wrong step in Eastern Mediterranean, says Turkish Foreign Ministry
— Anadolu English (@anadoluagency) July 23, 2020
#BREAKING France must stop magnifying itself, and follow discreet, rational policies, says Turkish Foreign Ministry
— Anadolu English (@anadoluagency) July 23, 2020
Meanwhile, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Turkey, Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu, commented on the French President’s post in fluent Greek.
Specifically, he commented that France has lost its neutrality, but also the opportunity to contribute to stability in the Eastern Mediterranean.
At the same time, Çavuşoğlu added that “France must stop magnifying itself and follow discreet, rational policies.”
Earlier in the day following a meeting with the President of the Republic of Cyprus, Nicos Anastasiades, Macron stated that it would be a serious error by the European Union to not respond to provocations in the Eastern Mediterranean. He emphasised that he wanted more sanctions on those who violated Greek and Cypriot maritime space.
“In this part of the Mediterranean, which is vital for our two countries, energy and security issues are essential. What’s at stake is a power struggle in particular of Turkey and Russia which are asserting themselves more and more and in the face of which the EU is still doing too little,” Macron told reporters alongside Anastasiades.
“It would be a serious mistake to leave our security in the Mediterranean in the hands of other actors. This is not an option for Europe and it is not something that France will let happen,” he continued.
