Turkish envoy slams EU's 'two-faced policy' on Turkey

ISTANBUL

Europe's "two-faced" attitude towards issues between Turkey and Greece over the Eastern Mediterranean is nonsense, Turkey's ambassador to France said Thursday.

Speaking at a panel on EU-Turkey relations held by video link, Ismail Hakki Musa discussed the tensions between Turkey, France and the EU in connection with Libya, Syria and the Eastern Mediterranean.

Turkey and Greece should handle issues between themselves on their own as some other countries also have such problems, he said, noting that the EU Europeanizes issues between Turkey and Greece by carrying them to the European agenda as if they were being experienced between the two sides for the first time.

All the activities carried out against Turkey in the Eastern Mediterranean are contrary to international law, Musa stressed.

He went on to say that the EU imposes Greece's demands on Turkey under so-called unity and solidarity and there is nothing acceptable about this.

The EU has no authority to intervene in the issues between Turkey and Greece, he added.

Greece has disputed Turkey's current energy exploration activities in the Eastern Mediterranean, trying to box in Turkish maritime territory based on small islands near the Turkish coast.

Turkey -- the country with the longest coastline in the Mediterranean -- has sent out drillships to explore for energy on its continental shelf, saying that Turkey and the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) have rights in the region.

Dialogue for fairly sharing these resources will be a win-win for all sides, say Turkish officials.

*Writing by Burak Bir