Europe agrees to proposal submission by Greece and Cyprus for measures against Turkey

The European Union, through the EU High Representative Josep Borrell has agreed to a proposal submission by Greece and Cyprus for the imposition of measures against Turkey, to be considered at the next Foreign Affairs Council in December.

The Greece -Cyprus proposal will be presented at the Committee of Permanent Representatives in the European Union (COREPER) next week, sources said.

The proposal by Greece and Cyprus follow Turkish threats of exploiting and instrumentalising the migration crisis at the expense of Europe as it had done against Greece in early 2020 at the Evros border.

The European Union must tackle the instrumentalisation of migration with a horizontal overview, Greece and Cyprus underlined at the EU Foreign Affairs Council in Brussels on Monday, said diplomatic sources.

Foreign Affairs Minister Nikos Dendias expressed his support for any potential measures taken against Belarus, and he also mentioned Turkey’s role in the events that took place at the Greek-Turkish border in Evros in March 2020, sources added.

The Greek minister also highlighted his full support to his Cypriot counterpart Nikos Christodoulides, in relation to mass arrivals of migrants via the occupied territories, it was added.

In this context, the European Union must deal with all such issues arising from the instrumentalisation of migration by any country, and proceed with imposing the relevant measures and sanctions, it was noted.

Dendias also pointed to the significance of the integration of Western Balkan countries into the European community, and he underlined the need for convening the first intergovernmental summit with both Albania and the Republic of North Macedonia.