Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan appeared intransigent on his country’s stance in the eastern Mediterranean and tensions with Greece, Cyprus, and the EU, calling on the latter to avoid acting “willfully blind” and serving the two countries.
In a video message at a Turkish university workshop on the Eastern Mediterranean, Erdogan said: “The Eastern Mediterranean has been at the centre of developments in recent years and many countries are watching what is happening. Turkey, the country with the largest coastline in the Mediterranean, cannot follow the developments … from the sidelines. We are closely monitoring what is happening to protect our own interests and the interests of the Turkish Cypriots.”
“We have clarified that we will not accept plans and maps aimed at limiting Antalya (coast of southeastern Turkey). We do not seek to violate anyone’s interests and laws. But we will not yield to blackmail, threats, pirate behaviour, we will not allow plans for imperialist expansion. We want to leave behind what happened in the previous months,” the Turkish president continued.
“We want to continue with mutual respect and dialogue to solve the problems, without excluding anyone from the solutions. We must give space to diplomacy if we want a permanent solution “, he added and then took aim at Greece, Cyprus, and the EU.
“We maintain our composure in matters with Greece and Cyprus after 2003. We also maintain the same compromising attitude today. The European Union must get rid of its strategic blindness as soon as possible and must not allow itself to be used as a “spearhead” in the Eastern Mediterranean by Greek Cypriots and Greece. The Union, in the name of solidarity, must not be unfair to Turkey.”
The EU is scheduled to meet in the week to discuss sanctions against Turkey as a result of its belligerent stance in the region.
“European Union foreign ministers will discuss measures against Turkey during their meeting today, as there has been no de-escalation of the conflict in the eastern Mediterranean in recent months”, German foreign minister Heiko Maas said today.
“Germany has worked hard over the past few months to facilitate a dialogue between the European Union and Turkey,” Heiko Maas said before meeting with his European counterparts.
“But there have been too many challenges, and tensions between Turkey, Cyprus, and Greece have prevented any direct talks,” he added.
“That is why we are going to talk about the consequences we have to draw – also in view of this week’s EU summit,” he said.
EU member states cannot find a common ground to respond to an escalating situation with Turkey ahead of a crucial summit later this week, EURACTIV has learnt.
“The feelings in Brussels are numb”, diplomatic sources told EURACTIV on Friday (4 December).
On 10-11 December, EU leaders will meet to discuss again the bloc’s next steps regarding Turkey following a series of disagreements on a number of issues ranging from illegal gas drillings in the Eastern Mediterranean to involvement in Nagorno-Karabakh or Libya, and a recent standoff in the France-Turkey relations.
In theory, the December summit is the deadline set by EU leaders to give Ankara time to de-escalate and move toward a positive agenda with Europe.
“I think that the cat and mouse game needs to end,” EU Council chief Charles Michel said in reply to a question by EURACTIV last Friday.
“We will have a debate at the European summit on 10 December and we are ready to use the means at our disposal”, he said. However, he did not mention the word ‘sanctions’.
The sources admitted that it’s now common knowledge that Turkey has done nothing positive to improve its chances at the summit. However, some EU countries are still cautious to impose sanctions against Ankara.
Turkey has not de-escalated its stand-off with Greece in response to diplomatic outreach, European Council chief Charles Michel said on Friday (4 December) and warned that EU member states would now consider “the means at our disposal”, which most probably means sanctions.
On 30 November, Turkey’s Oruç Reis survey vessel returned to the southern port of Antalya from Mediterranean waters. The same happened ahead of a previous EU summit in October, when Turkey avoided sanctions and EU leaders decided to revisit the issue in December.
The two fronts
On 25 November, sources close to the issue told EURACTIV that Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan would back down at first sign of EU unity.
However, achieving EU unity seems to be a long shot.
Led by Germany, a group of countries (Italy, Spain, Malta) invoke a number of arguments against imposing sanctions such as the return of Oruç Reis to Turkey or push for a “wait and see” approach, according to which Europe’s reaction should align with the stance toward Turkey of the new US administration.
In addition, particularly in Berlin, policymakers claim that Turkey’s role in migration should also be taken into account.
Another argument is the role of the bilateral NATO’s deconfliction mechanism introduced on 1 October. In Athens, critics suggest that this mechanism is of low value practically and apparently Greece was under huge political pressure to accept it.
Well-informed sources told EURACTIV that at the last summit, Germany rejected a Greek proposal to impose sanctions the first time Turkey takes a new provocative action.
Instead, Germany invoked NATO’s deconfliction mechanism as an adequate measure in case of a new Greek-Turkish confrontation.
In Madrid, analysts estimate that “Real Politik will prevail”.
“Turkey is one of Spain’s key trade partners. Spain has increased its investments in Turkey from 2012 to 2019 by between 3 and 4% per year. Turkey is one of the main destinations for Spanish exports of automobiles and other metallurgical resources, while Turkey exports a large quantity of textile products to Spain,” sources said.
These countries, according to the sources, would prefer to postpone the thorny issue until the next EU summit in March.
Portugal, which will take over the EU rotating Presidency after Germany, keeps a low profile on the issue. But critics suggest that Lisbon does not want to inherit Turkey’s “hot potato”.
Regarding Bulgaria’s leader Boyko Borissov, who is known as a close friend of Erdoğan, sources said his reaction was unpredictable.
Another group of countries push for a stricter EU stance. Together with Greece and France stand Cyprus, Austria, Slovenia and Slovakia.
Probable scenarios
The sources do not rule out “light sanctions” similar to the ones imposed on Ankara due to its illegal gas drillings off Cyprus.
The best-case scenario according to Athens, would be for EU leaders to give a mandate to EU top diplomat Josep Borrell to come up with a list of “written sanctions” in case Turkey continues escalating.
At a meeting of foreign minister in Berlin last August, Borrell presented some “options” to deal with Turkey. However, these options have only been presented orally and have never been put on a paper.
However, a new written list of sanctions will not be adopted at this summit.
Sources said such a list could be adopted at a foreign affairs meeting in January but it’s highly likely that it will be discussed at the March EU summit. In practice, this will mean granting Ankara another grace period.
Michel’s international conference hits the wall
In addition, sources say diplomatic efforts are currently taking place in order to come up with conclusions on Turkey before the summit, as there are fears that the veto posed by Hungary and Poland on the Recovery Fund and the Brexit deadlock will likely overshadow the discussion over Turkey.
Last but not least, EURACTIV was informed that Michel’s initiative for a Multilateral Conference on the Eastern Mediterranean involving all non-EU partners of the region is apparently failing.
Sources said Egypt, a key player in the region, refuses to sit at the same table with Turkey.
A new vlog launched by the Austrian Bahá’í Office of External Affairs will explore topics including environmental protection, migration, social cohesion, and the role of youth in social transformation.
VIENNA, Austria — A new vlog to explore issues of national concern in Austria was launched Saturday by the country’s Bahá’í Office of External Affairs.
“Like everyone else, most of our conversations with other social actors have moved online. Although this has had its challenges, it has also presented new opportunities,” says Leyla Tavernaro of the Office of External Affairs.
“For example, we can now document parts of our conversations and make them available to many other people interested in the same topics.”
Dr. Tavernaro explains how the new vlog, titled “Themes that move Austria,” will explore topics including environmental protection, migration, social cohesion, and the role of youth in social transformation.
In the first episode, environmentalist Marlene Nutz from an organization called Fridays for Future Austria discusses the relationship between science and religion as it relates to the future of the planet. “I think if we only have science, then we might be familiar with the facts … but do we feel connected to our planet? Can we really feel that our house is on fire?”
Another episode, which will be posted in the coming weeks, explores the question of identity and migration with Kenan Güngör, an expert on the issue. He says of this initiative of the Office, “It is refreshing to see a religious community actively engage in these important societal topics.”
In explaining other aspirations for the vlog, Dr. Tavernaro states: “By documenting conversations in this way, this initiative will allow people to follow the evolution of ideas as certain concepts are explored over time.
“For example, in conversations where we are looking at the question of identity—asking ‘what does it mean to be Austrian, European, or someone who has come from a different country?’—those engaged in related national discourses will be able to come back periodically and see how thinking is expanding and new insights are emerging.”
Upcoming episodes planned by the Austrian Bahá’í Office of External Affairs will include discussions on the issue of racism and social cohesion, and the role of education in raising public consciousness about the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.
In coordination with the Allegheny Health Network (AHN) and the advertising agency Doner, Marvel has created a comic book, called The Vitals: True Nurse Stories, based on an amalgamation of experiences had by nurses in 13 hospital facilities in Western Pennsylvania.
Marvel’s new comic book pays tribute to nurses. (Photo:Getty Images)
“Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, we have been in awe of the courage and resourcefulness of our nurses, who put their own health at risk to care for these vulnerable patients,” said AHN chief nurse executive Claire Zangerle in a statement. “We are so proud of them, and we want to make sure they know how much we appreciate their exceptional work. We hope that in seeing themselves as real Marvel Comics Super Heroes, they can take a moment to look back in pride on their exceptional work and compassion during an exceptionally difficult time for our communities.”
In a video made in conjunction with the comic book, the children of AHN nurses talked about their parents and the tireless work they’ve done throughout the pandemic. “We didn’t see her for like two months,” says one little boy of his mother, a nurse. “It makes me feel good that she’s being able to help,” says another.
In the video the children and their parents are given the comic book, which results in no shortage of tears. “That one looks like my mommy,” says one little girl as she points to a nurse on the cover of the comic. “You’re a hero,” says a little boy as he tearfully embraces his mother.
The comic books will be distributed at AHN hospitals and recruiting events, and are also available digitally on Marvel.com.
“At Marvel, we tell stories about heroes every day. But this story is special. It tells a story about our everyday heroes — the nurses and health care professionals working tirelessly and courageously to save lives,” said Dan Buckley, president of Marvel Entertainment, said in a statement. “Along with AHN, we are honored to help tell these stories, which we dedicate to the real heroes who are saving the world.”
Many secondary school students in Sokoto State do not know much about HIV and AIDS due to cultural and religious restriction to sex education in schools in the state.
Some of the students, who spoke with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in separate interviews in Sokoto on Sunday, expressed little knowledge about the virus, mode of transmission, prevention and care.
One of them, Abdullrasheed Umar, a Senior Secondary I (SS1) student at Sultan Bello Secondary School, Sokoto, said: “I have heard of HIV, but I have no idea what it really is.
“All I know is that it is a terrible disease and nothing more.”
When asked if there is HIV club or any form of sex education in his school, his response was negative.
“Sex education is not allowed in schools. No one talks to us about that,” he said.
Bello Mohammed, another student at the school, said he was ignorant of the diseases and its implication in the human body.
Similarly, Hussaini Abubakar and Abdul Mukaila, students of Community Demonstration Secondary School, told NAN that they had no idea what HIV was, or what it does to infected persons.
Also, Abduallhi Nura, a Junior Secondary School II (JSS II) at Sheikh Abubakar Gumi Memorial College, Sokoto said he only heard of the name HIV, but nothing more.
But Yunusa Mohammed, another JSS II student at the college, said he had some “useful” knowledge about HIV.
Mohammed said: “I heard that the disease is dangerous and one that can be infected through the use of sharp objects or blades used by an infected person. That is all I know,” he said.
Alhaji Umar Alkammawa, Executive Secretary, Sokoto State Agency for the Control of AIDS, Tuberculosis and Leprosy (SOSACAT), confirmed that culture and religion had made it “nearly impossible” to sensitise students on HIV.
“We have not been fair to ourselves by rejecting sex education in schools.
“But there is no way you will bring HIV education in schools without talking about sex and sex education is a no-go area in Sokoto State,” Alkammawa said.
Mohammed Garba, Deputy State Coordinator, Civil Society for HIV/AIDS in Nigeria (CiSHAN), has also said that the connection between HIV and sex had made it difficult to carry out HIV sensitisation in secondary schools.
Garba explained that corps members, under the Peer Educator Trainers (PET) programme, used to create awareness on HIV/AIDS among young people in secondary schools.
“The corps members conduct HIV sensitisation campaigns and most importantly train secondary school students as change agents among their peers, immediate families and communities.
“But about 10 years ago, the programme was stopped by the state’s ministry of education on the ground that the corps members were teaching students sex.
“But in the past three years, CiSHAN has been training youth corps members on HIV and reproductive health, after which they go to Churches, Mosques and other public places to sensitise people,” he said. (NAN)
Last-ditch discussions between the U.K. and the European Union over future trade ties are set to resume in Brussels later Sunday, two days after they were “paused” amid “significant differences” on an array of issues.
Britain’s main negotiator, David Frost, arrived in the Belgian capital on Sunday to pick up discussions with his EU counterpart, Michel Barnier.
The meeting was authorized by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and British Prime Minister Boris Johnson after a telephone call on Saturday.
The two leaders noted that fundamental differences between the two sides remain over the “level playing field” — the standards the U.K. must meet to export into the bloc — how future disputes are resolved and fishing rights for EU trawlers in U.K. waters. Still, they said a “further effort should be undertaken by our negotiating teams to assess whether they can be resolved.”
Negotiators may only have until Monday evening to make some headway. Johnson and von der Leyen said they would talk again and underlined that “no agreement is feasible if these issues are not resolved.”
With the U.K.’s post-Brexit transition period due to end this year, the discussions are clearly at a crunch point, not least because of the necessary approvals required on both sides after negotiators reach a deal. Without an agreement in place, tariffs will end up being imposed on traded goods at the start of 2021.
Both sides would suffer economically from a failure to secure a trade deal, but most economists think the British economy would take a greater hit, at least in the near-term, as it is relatively more reliant on trade with the 27-nation EU than vice versa.
LONDON — The European Union and the United Kingdom decided Saturday to press on with negotiating a post-Brexit trade deal, with all three key issues still unresolved ahead of a year-end cutoff.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said after a phone call that their negotiators will return to the table today as fundamental differences persist over the rules for fair competition, legal oversight of the deal and fishing rights for EU trawlers in U.K. waters.
“Significant differences remain,” the two leaders said in a statement after their tea-time call to assess the state of play over the future relationship.
While the U.K. left the EU on Jan. 31, it remains within the bloc’s tariff-free single market and customs union through Dec. 31. Reaching a trade deal by then would ensure there are no tariffs and trade quotas on goods exported or imported by the two sides, although there would still be technical costs, partly associated with customs checks and nontariff barriers on services.
The talks would surely have collapsed by now were the interests and economic costs at stake not so massive. But because the EU is an economic power of 450 million people and Britain has major diplomatic and security interests beyond its commercial might, the two sides want to explore every last chance to get a deal before they become acrimonious rivals.
“Whilst recognizing the seriousness of these differences, we agreed that a further effort should be undertaken by our negotiating teams to assess whether they can be resolved,” Johnson and von der Leyen said after speaking for about an hour.
“We are therefore instructing our chief negotiators to reconvene tomorrow [Sunday] in Brussels,” the pair said in their statement, adding that they would reassess the chances of success Monday night.
The two leaders noted that progress has been achieved in many areas but that divisions remain on fishing rights, the “level playing field” — the standards the U.K. must meet to export into the bloc — and how future disputes are to be resolved.
“Both sides underlined that no agreement is feasible if these issues are not resolved,” von der Leyen and Johnson said Saturday.
An EU source, who spoke on condition of anonymity because the talks were ongoing, said the fair competition rules that the U.K. should meet before it can export tariff-free into the 27-nation bloc were still a major stumbling block.
At the heart of the negotiations is reconciling how Britain wrests itself free of EU rules with the bloc’s insistence that no country, however important, should get easy access to its lucrative market by undercutting its high environmental and social standards.
The politically charged issue of fisheries also continues to play an outsized role. The EU has demanded widespread access to U.K. fishing grounds that historically have been open to foreign trawlers. But in Britain, gaining control of the fishing grounds was a main issue for the Brexiteers who pushed for the country to leave the EU.
With the U.K.’s post-Brexit transition period due to conclude, the discussions are clearly at a crunch point, not least because of the necessary approvals required on both sides after negotiators reach a deal. Without an agreement, tariffs will end up being imposed on traded goods at the start of 2021.
Both sides would suffer economically from a failure to secure a trade deal, but most economists think the British economy would take a greater hit, at least in the near term, as it is relatively more reliant on trade with the EU than vice versa.
The EU’s chief Brexit negotiator, Michel Barnier, appears ready to go again.
“Work continues tomorrow,” he said in a tweet Saturday.
European Commission’s chief negotiator Michel Barnier wears a face mask as he leaves his hotel to head back to Brussels, in London, Saturday, Dec. 5, 2020. With less than one month to go before the U.K. exits the EU’s economic orbit, talks have been paused due to “significant divergences.” (AP Photo/Alberto Pezzali)
European Commission’s chief negotiator Michel Barnier waves as he leaves his hotel to head back to Brussels, in London, Saturday, Dec. 5, 2020. With less than one month to go before the U.K. exits the EU’s economic orbit, talks have been paused due to “significant divergences.” (AP Photo/Alberto Pezzali)
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen makes a statement on camera regarding Brexit negotiations, after a phone call with British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, at EU headquarters in Brussels, Saturday, Dec. 5, 2020. (Julien Warnand)
A pro-European Union membership supporter protests with illuminated European and Union flags outside Brexit trade negotiations between Britain and the EU at the Conference Centre in London, Friday, Dec. 4, 2020. With less than one month to go before the U.K. exits the EU’s economic orbit, talks are continuing, and U.K. officials have said this is the last week to strike a deal. (AP Photo/Matt Dunham)
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen holds her notes as she steps away from the podium after making a statement on camera regarding Brexit negotiations, after a phone call with British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, at EU headquarters in Brussels, Saturday, Dec. 5, 2020. (Julien Warnand)
European Commission’s chief negotiator Michel Barnier wears a face mask as he leaves his hotel to head back to Brussels, in London, Saturday, Dec. 5, 2020. With less than one month to go before the U.K. exits the EU’s economic orbit, talks have been paused due to “significant divergences.” (AP Photo/Alberto Pezzali)
El principal negociador para el Brexit por la Unión Europea, Michel Barnier, arriba el viernes 4 de diciembre del 2020 al Centro de Conferencias, en Londres, (AP Foto/Kirsty Wigglesworth)
Pro-European Union membership supporters protest outside Brexit trade negotiations between Britain and the EU outside the Conference Centre in London, Friday, Dec. 4, 2020. With less than one month to go before the U.K. exits the EU’s economic orbit, talks are continuing, and U.K. officials have said this is the last week to strike a deal. (AP Photo/Matt Dunham)
A pro-European Union membership supporter protests with illuminated European and Union flags outside Brexit trade negotiations between Britain and the EU at the Conference Centre in London, Friday, Dec. 4, 2020. With less than one month to go before the U.K. exits the EU’s economic orbit, talks are continuing, and U.K. officials have said this is the last week to strike a deal. (AP Photo/Matt Dunham)
“If Hungary and Poland still refuse to confirm the current state of affairs, it will be necessary to find a more radical solution, which means that the recovery plan for Europe will include 25 [EU members]. Legally, it is complicated but possible. Our stance is clear: we will not sacrifice either recovery [package], nor the rule of law”, Beaune said on Sunday in an interview with Le Journal du Dimanche.
The leaders of the EU’s member states struck a deal to create a 750 billion euro ($909 billion) COVID-19 recovery fund, named NextGenerationEU, back in July. However, controversy has arisen as the bloc seeks to make access to the funds contingent on the observation of European values, such as democratic norms and respect for the rule of law.
At a meeting of the Permanent Representatives Committee (Coreper II) on 16 November, Poland and Hungary refused to give their consent to the recovery fund in opposition of the rule of law mechanism, outlining their belief that it could result in double standards applied to different EU members.
They also refused to approve the bloc’s proposed 1.074 trillion euro budget, which is expected to run from 2021 through 2027, disrupting the European Union’s plan to adopt it before the end of the year.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen urged Poland and Hungary on 25 November to take their dispute to court, rather than hold up efforts to approve the budget and recovery fund.
LONDON/DUBLIN (Reuters) – British and European Union negotiators will meet in Brussels on Sunday in a last-ditch attempt to strike a post-Brexit trade deal before a transition agreement ends on Dec. 31.
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British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen spoke on Saturday and instructed their teams to resume talks after they were paused on Friday.
In a joint statement after their call, Johnson and von der Leyen said that no agreement was feasible if disagreements on the three thorny issues of governance, fisheries and competition rules, known as the level playing field, were not resolved.
“This is the final throw of the dice,” a British source close to the negotiations said.
EU Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier said the talks on Sunday with his British counterpart David Frost would show whether a new trade deal could be struck.
A majority of Johnson’s ministers were willing to back him if he decides a deal is not in Britain’s interests, the Times newspaper reported, saying 13 cabinet ministers – including eight who opposed Brexit – had confirmed they would do so.
British farming minister George Eustice backed that up in an interview on Sky News on Sunday, saying the country had done a huge amount of preparation for a no-deal and was ready to go through with such a scenario.
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“We’ll continue to work on these negotiations until there’s no point in doing so any further,” said Eustice.
But Irish Foreign Minister Simon Coveney, a key figure in Brexit talks in recent years, said it was not credible for the British government to suggest they could manage a no-deal.
Striking a more optimistic note, Coveney said it was his “very strong view” that a deal could be done. “We are more likely to get a deal than not,” Coveney told Ireland’s Sunday Independent newspaper.
Negotiations were paused on Friday after hopes of a deal earlier in the week evaporated. The British team said the EU had made demands incompatible with its sovereignty and warned that the talks could end without an agreement.
Coveney denied the EU had hardened its stance.
If they fail to reach a deal, a five-year Brexit divorce will end messily just as Britain and its former EU partners grapple with the economic cost of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Experts have warned that a no-deal scenario would cause huge long-term disruption to the British economy.
Additional reporting by Alistair Smout in London and Gabriela Baczynska in Brussels; Editing by David Clarke
