The European Commission on Wednesday sent a message to Turkey to help implement sanctions against Russia «effectively», after Ankara has been one of the main neighbors that has not aligned itself with the measures and allows their circumvention.
In a speech at the EU-Turkey High-Level Business Dialogue in Istanbul, Enlargement and Neighborhood Commissioner Oliver Varhelyi said the war in Ukraine has repercussions beyond the country, warning that it is behind rising geopolitical tensions, political and trade fragmentation and causes inflation and risk of social instability.
In this context, «it would be more essential than ever for the EU and Turkey to address these challenges together,» the EU Neighborhood Commissioner said. «We need strong allies like Turkey to stand with us in confronting Russian aggression, including pressure to implement sanctions effectively,» he stressed.
The Hungarian politician is on a several-day trip to Turkey, where the issue of European sanctions will be on the table in his meetings with Turkish authorities. EU sources insist that sanctions against Moscow and alignment with EU policy are «cornerstones» of the relationship with partner countries, more so in the case of Turkey which has not adhered to EU restrictions.
For its part, the European bloc has already warned that the current context is not the time to increase cooperation with Russia, after Ankara announced an agreement last week to be a hub for the redistribution of Russian gas to third countries.
The United States has also insisted on this issue in its contacts with Turkey, warning that the country cannot become a «sanctuary» for transactions with Russia and bypass Western sanctions.
Tension between Washington and Ankara has soared since the beginning of the Russian invasion because of the ambiguous role of the Turkish authorities. In the midst of the energy crisis, the Turkish Foreign Minister, Mevlut Cavusoglu, said that if the United States wants more barrels of crude oil production and lower prices, it must lift sanctions on Saudi Arabia, Venezuela or Iran.
