EU sanctions unlikely against Turkey: Italian experts

ROME

EU leaders, set to convene in a summit this week, are unlikely to resort to sanctions with Turkey, several foreign policy experts have said.

Speaking to Anadolu Agency, Italy's former Ambassador to Ankara Carlo Marsili said he does not expect sanctions as such a decision would require a unanimous vote, while Italy and Germany are not in favor of such a move against Turkey.

He added that besides them, Hungary or Poland also would not agree with sanctions against Turkey.

Regarding the ongoing dispute in the Eastern Mediterranean, Marsili said Turkey should insist on clarifying the "exclusive economic zone (EEZ) issue" and its territorial waters in the region, urging the country to clearly explain its situation.

He said it was unacceptable that a country -- referring to Turkey -- with a 1,600-kilometer (almost 1,000-mile) long Mediterranean coastline to faced difficulties deploying research vessels.

The main reason for this problem, Marsili said, was that Greece claimed exclusive economic zones for its islands, rather than its mainland.

He argued that Greece's Meis island, also known as Kastellorizo, for instance, could not be considered as being within Greek territorial waters as it is located just 20 minutes from the town of Kas, Turkey on the Mediterranean coast.

Citing another example of Greek misconduct, Marsili said Athens had violated its 1947 deal with Italy that saw Rome cede 12 islands on the condition that they remain demilitarized, saying: "It is necessary to insist on this issue too."

Similarly, Turkish authorities repeatedly asserted that keeping armed forces on the eastern Aegean islands by Greece is a violation of the Lausanne Peace Treaty of 1923 and the Paris Treaty of 1947.

Italian writer and scholar Valeria Giannotta said France and the Greek Cypriot administration are leading the hostility towards Turkey in Brussels, though Italy, Spain and Germany have taken more "moderate" policies.

Adding that recent tensions between Ankara and Paris had created a tougher stance against Turkey in Brussels, Giannotti said she does not expect sanctions but rather strong condemnations against Turkey.

Sanctions will harm the interests of some European countries, including Italy and Germany, who see Turkey as an important trade partner, she underlined.

Giannotta said the EU should engage in constructive dialogue with Ankara, adding that Turkey continues to be a strategic partner for Europe.

Amid recent tensions in the region, Greece and the Greek Cypriot administration have upped their pressure on other EU members to impose sanctions on Turkey at the EU leaders summit on Dec 10-11.

To date the EU's current term president, Germany, and most EU members have been reluctant to take such action.

Turkey, which has the longest continental coastline in the Eastern Mediterranean, has rejected the maritime boundary claims of Greece and the Greek Cypriot administration, stressing that these excessive claims violate the sovereign rights of both Turkey and the Turkish Cypriots.

Ankara has sent several drill ships in recent months to explore for energy resources in the Eastern Mediterranean, asserting its own rights in the region, as well as those of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus.

Turkish leaders have repeatedly stressed that Ankara is in favor of resolving all outstanding problems in the region through international law, good neighborly relations, dialogue, and negotiation.

*Writing by Rabia Iclal Turan