Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias has said that Greece will invoke Article 42 of the European Union founding Treaty if relations with Turkey derail and slip into a military confrontation.
Speaking to Star TV, Dendias said the Greece will ask for military assistance by other EU member states if Turkey attacks the country.
According to Article 42 (7) of the EU founding Treaty, in the event the territory of a member state target of an armed attack, the other Member States shall provide assistance and assistance with all means at their disposal in accordance with Article 51 of the Charter of the United Nations.
Dendias said that he briefed his counterparts at the EU Foreign Affairs Council about Greece’s intention on Monday.
“To be clear with our family, the EU, but also with anyone else, Turkey, in this case, I warned that Greece will ask for measures on the basis of 42 if it is attacked by anyone,” he said.
Dendias also asked the Council to prepare a list of specific sanctions against Turkey.
“That is, heavy sanctions that create a huge problem to the Turkish economy,” the FM said and listed as examples a tourism note, issues related to banking and guarantees in case of exports or imports.
He stressed that the EU is Turkey’s largest trading partner and that if it wants it can create a huge problem in the Turkish economy.
With few exceptions, though, the majority of EU member states are currently not willing to adopt a more aggressive policy towards Greece’s neighboring country.
Dendias stressed that it there is an issue with Turkey in summer, he will request the convening of an extraordinary Foreign Affairs Council meeting.
The Greek Foreign Minister underlined that “Turkey is wrong if it believes that the challenges will be tolerated.”
“The Turkish-Libya maritime boundaries deal is non-existent. In fact, what Turkey presents as plots for which the Turkish oil company is seeking permits for exploration and drilling, is part of the Greek continental shelf. It’s absolutely obvious, one does not need to know Law of the Sea, just look at a map. Six miles from Crete, six miles from Karpathos, six miles from Rhodes,” Dendias said.
Speaking to ruling New Democracy MEP’s on another occasion, Dendias stressed that “our EU partners need to understand that Greece, an EU member state, is facing escalating misconduct as well as an attempt by a non-EU country to usurp its sovereign rights, a country which is, in fact, a candidate for EU membership.”
eu slow to act against tuekey.should have put turkey back in its box a year ago when its obvious aggresion towards greece was apparent.frightened turkey will push refugees across land boarders flooding eu.close boarders now and just assume everyone crossing them as a turkish invasion which is what it would be in all but name.eu made the agreements among their states now stand up and abide by them.
Turkey does not have a box to be put into: indeed, that is part of the problem. You are confusing it with the UK, which is masochistically putting itself into a tiny Brexit box on the instructions of some billionaires, who think they can make more money that way.
Not many people know it but Art. 42 and 44 and others of the Lisbon Treaty lay the foundation for an EU army. It is very ambiguously worded. It envisages that all member states have to put all means at their disposal whether those are military or civilian if the event of an emergence. That can be a disaster, terrorism or something else. In effect, it can mean that people can be drafted.
EU pushed many countries into war, destabilize them and made millions of people refugees, it’s not Turkey or any other country’s problem to take care of them EU must accept these refugees else these people will be fighting European countries to get land.
You can pin many things justifiably on the Europeans over the centuries, but the catalyst for the refugee crisis from Syria lies squarely with Turkey and the United states, in attempting to induce regime change in Syria through the funding of rebels and jihadists. There is no avoiding the facts on this one. Why exactly should the EU help Turkey avoid reaping what it sowed? Why should the EU pay the price for Turkey’s meddling in a sovereign country’s affairs? By this logic, Europe should take irregular immigrants from the United states despite the fact that the US sowed chaos in Latin and South America for the last century, one CIA backed coup after another. What you are saying is illogical, nonsensical.