86002 - Transcription: New slap in the face for Turkey

N. Lygeros
Translated from the Greek by Athina Kehagias

A new European Union decision constitutes a slap in the face for Turkey. It is good to say it in a clear way, because when Turkey did illegal drills and this happened back in 2019, we did not expect, no one, not in Greece nor in Cyprus, that there would be restrictive measures taken, and this would directly involve the people who took those decisions. Now, in 2023, we see that there is a renewal, meaning, an extension of those measures, which will be applicable until November 2024. This practically means that when Turkey says that she can drill wherever she wants without giving any consideration to the others, yes, she can do it, she can be illegal, but then there will be a cost. And that cost is what we’re seeing with these restrictive measures Therefore Turkey can drill within its own EEZ, that’s just fine, but when it tries to get out of hand and overflow, saying it can drill wherever she wants not taking anyone into account, she’s making a technical mistake and now it seems she has bear the cost, because quite simply the European Commission comes next, so does the European Union, and the Council of Ministers comes afterwards, which says in a crystal clear way that these acts are not merely unacceptable, but they come with a cost. And because Turkey only understands the cost, if she does not receive this information, it will continue on. Whereas when she cops a slap in the face she suddenly remembers that it would be wise to drill only within her own EEZ.