BRUSSELS – Europe seems to believe in the appeasement with Turkey of Recep Tayyip Erdogan. So much so that next week, April 6, the leaders of the Union will fly to the Anatolian country to meet the Sultan. At the highest levels, since they will be moving Charles Michel e Ursula von der Leyen, presidents respectively of the European Council (the forum of the EU heads of state and government) and of the EU Commission (the EU executive). The attempt is to sculpt that “positive agenda” with Ankara that the leaders of the Twenty-seven aspire to relaunch after the clashes, even tough, of 2020. On the plate at the end of last Thursday’s European summit also dedicated to relations with Erdogan as well as Covid and at the first virtual meeting with Joe Biden, the European prime ministers have put a deepening of the customs union with Turkey, progress on visas and a new tranche of funding after the 6 billion disbursed in 2016 to allow Turkey to host 4 million Syrian refugees on its territory (and close the Balkan Route for the benefit of Central Europe). Three central dossiers for the Turks.
The trip of Michel and von der Leyen was of course agreed on Thursday with the heads of state and government, convinced of the need to dismiss the sanctions policy that Erdogan forced them last year and return to constructive relations. Leaders have repeatedly called on Turkey to respect human rights. However, in order for the Twenty-seven to try to reconnect with Erdogan, it was enough for the Turkish president to initiate a de-escalation in the eastern Mediterranean. So much so that after promising a new “positive agenda”, they stressed that Ankara must refrain from new provocations towards Greece and Cyprus with a “prolonged easing” of tensions.
Last year, Erdogan’s policies in Syria and Libya derailed relations between Europe and Turkey. As well as the provocations against Greece and the illegal drilling in Cypriot waters which cost EU sanctions in Ankara and constant support from Greece, which did not hesitate to mobilize the ships of its Navy to Cyprus. Tensions eased after NATO intervened by creating a channel of contact between Turks, Cypriots and Greeks.
Michel and von der Leyen will therefore reiterate to Erdogan what was said at the end of last week’s summit, namely that to improve relations between the two blocs it will be necessary for Turkey to “moderate its behavior” towards Brussels, its EU partners and on human rights. . A very necessary prudence, even if the transfer of the two leaders of the EU institutions can be exploited to understand the Turkish (financial) needs in the management of migrants.
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