Despite a recently rising tension between Turkey and the European Union, some experts argue that the EU leaders' summit on Dec. 10-11 will not lead to any substantial sanctions against the Turkish government, and the bloc's possible exclusionary policies targeting the country would work against the union itself.
While some circles think that the upcoming summit would be a "breaking point" in bilateral relations, political experts say this perspective did not alone reflect the truth and the EU would not risk losing Turkey.
According to Enes Bayrakli, the European studies director of the Turkish think tank Foundation for Political, Economic and Social Research (SETA), although the EU and Turkey have had some disputes, they should work to strengthen their ties through cooperation.
The current international political environment makes cooperation a must for both sides, Bayrakli said, noting that none of the sides has the luxury to turn its back on the other.
He went on to say that the December summit might result in some "symbolic" decisions against Ankara, adding it was unlikely that the European pact would adopt significant sanctions. The Turkish expert said the discourse on the so-called "breaking point" was rather a tool used to set psychological pressure on Ankara...
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ReplyDeleteTurkish exploration vessel returns to port
Turkey’s research vessel Oruc Reis has returned to the port of the southern province of Antalya after finishing seismic studies in the eastern Mediterranean, less than two weeks before a European Union summit where the bloc will evaluate possible sanctions against Ankara.
“Our Oruç Reis seismic research ship has completed its two-dimensional [2D] seismic studies in the Demre field, which it started on Aug. 10. Our ship, which collected 2D seismic data of 10.955 kilometers, has returned to Antalya Port,” the Energy and Natural Resources Ministry said on Nov. 30 in its Twitter post.