It is difficult for Europe to take stronger action against Turkey[/B] at the moment, as the situation is very difficult because of the war in Ukraine, and Turkey is an ally in NATO, which is trying to play a mediating role, Czech Ambassador to Cyprus, Vladimir Nemets, told CNA.
In an interview with CNA, ahead of the Czech Republic taking over the EU Presidency on 1 July 2022, Mr. Nemets described the Turkish position in favour of a two-state solution in Cyprus as unacceptable, and praised President Nicos Anastasiades' proposal for Confidence Building Measures (CBMs) to pave the way for the resumption of talks on a solution to the Cyprus problem. He also noted that what Turkey is doing against Cyprus is not acceptable.
[/P]Asked about the fact that the EU has not adopted measures against Turkey, despite its provocative actions against Cyprus, both on land and at sea, as it did with Russia after its attack on Ukraine, the Czech ambassador said that "talking about sanctions against Turkey is a very sensitive issue. It is quite an explosive issue because Turkey is a NATO ally. So it is difficult to do that and I think European leaders are doing everything to avoid it."
"But it is something that can be done at a certain juncture. If the warnings are not enough, we can start thinking about stronger messages to Turkey, but the situation now is not very good for such a move, because we are now facing the challenges from the war. We are in a difficult situation and Turkey is trying to play the role of a mediator."
So, he continued, "it is difficult now to take stronger steps against Turkey. Maybe in the future, when the situation is better with migration, with the war in Ukraine, we can think about stronger actions against Turkey, because of the occupation here and the challenges in the Mediterranean."
He added that "now is not the best time to take stronger actions than we have taken. What the European Council has said is the maximum we can do now in the context of managing the EU's relations with Turkey."
At the same time, the Czech ambassador said that what Turkey is doing against Cyprus is not acceptable. "What we can do is to develop a permanent pressure on Turkey and repeat to it that it is violating UN resolutions, violating international law and that we are not happy with it and we cannot accept it," he said.
He added that on the other hand there is economic cooperation with Turkey and "so now that we are losing the Russian market it is difficult to take stronger action against Turkey in this situation when we need to look for new markets."
Asked about the Turkish side's position in favour of a two-state solution in Cyprus, Nemetz said this is unacceptable and expressed appreciation for the fact that President Anastasiades has proposed a number of MEAs.
"This is a very positive step, in my view. I didn't expect that the reaction from the other side would be 'it's fine, let's accept them', but I expected at least something positive, to say this is good, this is not good, this can be discussed and so on. But the reaction was absolutely unthinkable for me, to say no to everything. And I regret this, as it will certainly not pave the way for a return to the negotiating table," the Czech ambassador said.
He said he had hoped that President Anastasiades' proposal might mean a new move towards the resumption of negotiations. "I am afraid that until the elections in Turkey in June next year, nothing will happen, because all this is driven by Turkey and not by the Turkish Cypriots," he noted.
Nemets said the political system in Cyprus after the solution should be federal or something like that, not a divided country. "I cannot imagine a two-state solution. This is dangerous for Europe itself. This proposal aims to unite the northern part of the island with Turkey, because economically this can hardly survive in the world of globalisation. So it is not accepted by the Cypriot government and the international community, and everybody knows this, and all the players say it cannot be implemented."
"But Turkey is playing this card. The question is how we react to it. We all say no, Europe says no and the guarantor powers, with the exception of Turkey of course," he said.
He also said the world is now in a state of flux and this can be an opportunity for Cyprus to be part of a wider resolution of issues. "But it is impossible to have a two-state solution," he stressed.
Asked about the EU's role in efforts to end the war in Ukraine, the Czech Ambassador said that "we are doing everything we can. The main goal is to stop the aggression and end the war. Russia should know that we are strong because we are united and stand by Ukraine."
He pointed out that "all actions undertaken by the EU must be the result of a consensus among member states."
Nemets said that the last European Council "clearly showed that we mean it and we gave Ukraine candidate status, which is an important signal to Russia that Ukraine is and will be a member of the European family."
[P I KNOW THAT THIS WILL NOT END THE WAR, BUT IT GIVES STRENGTH AND ENCOURAGEMENT TO THE UKRAINIANS," HE ADDED.[/P]Asked about the priorities of the Czech EU Presidency, Nemets first spoke about the motto of the Presidency which is "Europe as a Task: Rethink, Rebuild, Repower", recalling that in the 1990s the then President of his country, Vaclav Havel, spoke about Europe as a task, a mission.
And this motto continues to be relevant today, saying that Europe needs to rethink, rebuild and renew energy, and this is our mission and responsibility, he added.
The Czech Ambassador explained that rethinking Europe is about the political situation and political changes in all member states. Rebuilding, he said, "means the physical reconstruction of the EU institutions and in this way we start to deal with the situation in Ukraine, as this will also mean the reconstruction of Ukraine. Energy renewal (Repower) is a well-known EU programme which means cutting off gas and oil supplies from Russia, as well as strengthening defence capabilities and capacities," he said.
Nemets said that the priorities of the Czech Presidency relate to five flagship areas - Ukraine, energy, defence, economy and democracy.
He underlined that the EU supports Ukraine's sovereignty by all means "and we promote EU solidarity with Ukraine."
On energy, he said the issue is about reducing dependence on Russia in the energy sector, adding that this is key to the EU's economic development. "We will need to diversify sources, and certainly, if possible, mitigate the negative social and economic impact of energy prices," he added.
He said that the defence sector is about strengthening European defence capabilities, including cyber security, strengthening the EU's cooperation with NATO, etc.
On the economy, the Czech Ambassador said that "unfortunately it seems that with an unprecedented high inflation the recession is making its appearance."
"We should fight inflation and strengthen self-sufficiency, deepen the internal market and speed up negotiations with neighbouring countries or countries that are ready to make free trade agreements with the EU."
"We should fight inflation and strengthen self-sufficiency, deepen the internal market and speed up negotiations with neighbouring countries or countries that are ready to make free trade agreements with the EU. We are now losing the large Russian market and we need to replace it with new economic and trade links with other partners."
He added that "democracy is about the resilience of democratic institutions. It includes the rule of law, media freedom, transparency, open dialogue with citizens, etc. So we will also focus in the follow-up to the Future of Europe Conference."
Asked about the role of the Eastern Mediterranean region and energy projects such as EastMed in ensuring energy sufficiency in Europe, the Czech Ambassador said that this is "something that is taken into account in our deliberations on the future of energy independence."
"I think we should rethink about the performance of some projects, including the pipeline from fields in the Eastern Mediterranean to Europe. I believe that this project is not dead. Of course the situation is dynamic and nobody knows what it will look like one or two years later. This is something we have to keep open," he added.
He pointed out that any developments depend on agreements on Exclusive Economic Zones, disputes with neighbours and cooperation with others. "I think it is important to keep that in mind and to think about all the possibilities on how to use the gas from the Eastern Mediterranean," he added.
Asked about migration and frontline countries like Cyprus, which are under the most pressure, the Czech ambassador said that "we are monitoring the situation in the Mediterranean."
He noted what was mentioned in the European Council conclusions, where, he said, there was a warning to Turkey to respect the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all member states of the Union, and noted that this clearly applies to Cyprus.
"This is a warning to Turkey that it must behave as a partner and as an ally in NATO," he added.
He stressed the importance of solidarity, noting that "we will focus on this so that it will be one of the main points of our activities during the Presidency. We are not forgetting the problem here because we are monitoring it. We know what is happening, how illegal migrants are moving across the Green Line. Prague is very well informed about this issue," he noted.
Source: CNA
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