The European Union expressed concern that Turkey maintains a close partnership with Russia despite the ongoing Russian military operations in Ukraine since February 24, as Brussels has imposed sanctions against Moscow and Ankara has distanced itself from this, therefore, today the European Union asks Turkey to end its cooperation with Russia, which Ankara helps to circumvent European sanctions?
Josep Borrell, the European Union’s foreign policy coordinator, said in a letter to the European Parliament that “the deepening of economic relations between Turkey and Russia is of great concern to Brussels”, adding that “Turkey’s policy of not joining the restrictive measures imposed by the Union continues. “European, it’s a concern,” as he put it.
A Turkish academic and international relations researcher said that “Turkey is not bound by European sanctions against Russia, mainly because it is not a member of the European Union.”
Turkish university professor and researcher Norshin Atikoglu Günay told Al Arabiya.net: “Turkey is an independent country and is not part of the European Union, and for this reason I don’t think that Brussels’ anger over its policy towards the war in Ukraine will have any effect.” on the relationship between them, especially since Ankara is trying to remain neutral in this crisis.”
She added: “Turkey does not believe in the effectiveness of imposing sanctions against Russia, and also does not believe that these sanctions will force Moscow to end the war against Ukraine, because it believes in the existence of an effective dialogue between Moscow and Kiev, which it is trying to do, and therefore Ankara does not support the US and the European Union in this matter.” Sanctions against Russia are not the right way to stop a war.
And she added: “Turkey believes that a serious and open dialogue between the two sides is necessary to reach solutions or at least a ceasefire between the two sides, and it is not obliged to stand on the side of one side against the other, especially since he has good relations with the European Union and Russia, on which he relies heavily.”
According to the Turkish Academy, Ankara prefers to remain neutral on the Ukrainian front, and may later assist in stopping it.
Turkey has distanced itself from the Russian-Ukrainian war as it tried to play a mediating role between the two countries with which it has close political and economic relations, despite European concerns about its openness to Moscow during this crisis.
Turkey has repeatedly said in the past that it will not join European sanctions imposed by Brussels on Moscow, despite the economic agreements between Ankara and Brussels and the customs union they form together.
The European Union attributes its concerns about Russian-Turkish cooperation to the role Ankara is playing in circumventing sanctions imposed on Moscow, which last imposed them in greater numbers in early October and did not prevent the Russian side from benefiting from oil revenues as a result of cooperation with Turkey. side. Last Friday alone, the number of Russian tankers waiting in the Black Sea for the Turkish Bosphorus and Dardanelles reached 28.
The European Union has agreed with the G7 and Australia to ban transport service providers such as insurance companies from assisting in the export of Russian oil unless it is sold at a price previously set by the three parties to deprive Moscow of oil revenues. The Western Allies put him at risk to prevent this.
The European Union is seeking, through the economic sanctions it imposes on Russia, to reduce energy revenues, most of which Moscow uses in the war with Ukraine, but despite this, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan continues to play the role of an intermediary between Russia and Ukraine. amid unresolved issues between the two countries over a July agreement brokered by the UN and Turkey allowing Ukrainian grain to be exported via the Black Sea Corridor, which was recently extended until mid-March.
