Turkey must choose whether to side with the EU, NATO and their values or with Russia, Iran, Hamas and Hezbollah, EU Commission Vice-President Margaritis Schinas stressed in his speech at the 2nd Eastern Mediterranean Conference & Southeast Europe, organized by the Delphi Economic Forum, in Brussels.
More specifically, Schinas noted that “last Saturday we all woke up to the shocking news of a violent multi-front terrorist attack launched by Hamas against the State of Israel and innocent people. From the first moment, all 27 EU member states unanimously recognized Israel’s right to defend itself, denounced the terrorist attack and said loudly that there is no justification for terror.”
“Turkey has to choose which side of history it wants to be on: with us – the European Union, NATO, our values, the morals of the West – or with Moscow, Tehran, Hamas and Hezbollah,” he underlined, pointing out that “the answer should be clear.”
At the same time, he said that Turkey is a key partner for stability in Europe and the region in areas such as migration and trade, among others.
Speaking about the meetings of the Prime Minister, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, with the Turkish President, Tayyip Erdogan, he said that they allow optimism for overcoming the difficulties and unleashing the full potential of the Euro-Turkish partnership, adding that “for this to happen, consistency is needed.”
Schinas also criticized the fact that Ankara does not participate in the sanctions against Russia.
@EU_Commission / Margaritis Schinas is Vice-President/Promoting our European Way of Life (Migration, Security, Health, Skills, Education, Culture, Sport, fighting Antisemitism, FoRB)