The European Union’s annual progress report on Turkey’s accession process, presented Wednesday, includes references to Greek-Turkish relations, the migration issue and the Cyprus problem.
The report noted that while Turkey remains a key EU partner and candidate country, accession negotiations have been stalled since 2018 due to ongoing serious concerns about the functioning of its democratic institutions.
Since February 2023, Turkish violations of Greek airspace have significantly decreased, with no reported overflights of inhabited Greek areas, the report notes, adding, however, that reports of violations in Greek territorial waters continued into 2024, showing an increase compared to 2023.
The report highlights that in April 2024, the European Council reaffirmed the EU’s strategic interest in a stable and secure Eastern Mediterranean, as well as in fostering a cooperative and mutually beneficial relationship with Turkey.
In this context, it notes that the EU places particular importance on the resumption and advancement of Cyprus settlement talks in order to further strengthen EU-Turkey cooperation.
The report stresses that Turkey should avoid threats and actions that harm good neighborly relations, normalize its relations with the Republic of Cyprus and respect the sovereignty of all EU member-states over their territorial sea and airspace, as well as all their sovereign rights, including the right to explore and exploit their natural resources, in accordance with EU and international law, in particular the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.
Despite implementation challenges, positive cooperation on migration management with Turkish authorities has continued to yield results under the framework of the 2016 EU-Turkey Statement, the EU report notes.
ekathimerini.com