By Nawab Khan
BRUSSELS, March 25 (KUNA) -- The atmosphere around the European Union (EU)-Turkey leaders' meeting in Varna, Bulgaria, on Monday is already cloudy following sharp anti-Turkish rhetoric coming out of an EU summit held in Brussels last Thursday and Friday.
The President of the European Council, Donald Tusk, told at a press conference after the end of the EU summit on Friday, "I am aware that it will not be an easy meeting." On his part, the President of the European Commission, Jean-Calude Juncker told reporters he had "mixed feelings" about the Varna meeting.
The summit will bring together Tusk, Juncker, Boyko Borissov; Prime Minister of Bulgaria, whose country holds the current EU Presidency, and Recep Tayyip Erdogan, President of Turkey.
An EU press release noted that this "working dinner will be an occasion to assess matters of mutual interest and recent developments in Turkey, including the country's illegal actions in the Eastern Mediterranean and the Aegean Sea and its involvement in Syria." Raising the tension further, EU leaders last Thursday released a statement condemning Turkey's "illegal actions in the Eastern Mediterranean and the Aegean Sea" and underlined its "full solidarity with Cyprus and Greece." The text "urgently called on Turkey" to respect "the sovereign rights of Cyprus to explore and exploit its natural resources." Moreover, 75 Members of the European Parliament sent a letter on Friday to Tusk and Juncker, urging them to bring human rights to the center of EU relations with Turkey at the summit and press Erdogan to secure the release of dozens of journalists and many others unjustly jailed in Turkey.
In its response, Turkey condemned as "unacceptable" the statement by EU leaders.
"The statement that was issued contained unacceptable comments against our country that serve the interests of Greece and the Greek Cypriots," Turkish foreign ministry spokesman Hami Aksoy told reporters in Ankara.
He argued that the EU supported Greece and Cyprus because they are EU members, "without considering whether they are right. The EU has lost its objectivity on the Cyprus issue," he criticised.
Cyprus has been divided since 1974 when Turkey sent its troops in support of the Turkish Cypriots in the northern part of the island in response to a failed coup supported by the then military regime in Athens in an attempt to unite Cyprus with Greece.
The Greek-majority Republic of Cyprus is an EU member and is internationally-recognised, the breakaway Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus is recognised only by Turkey.
Analysts opine that Monday's summit between Erdogan and the EU leader is crucial in setting up the future framework of Turkey's relationship with the 28-member European bloc.
Turkey began EU membership talks in 2005, but negotiations have made no headway and nobody in EU believes in earnest that the Muslim-majority Turkey will ever join the European club.
Marc Pierini, visiting scholar at the think-tank Carnegie Europe, wrote in an opinion piece that "Ankara will argue that it never had a chance to negotiate with the EU in earnest. This is partly true, in the sense that in the past decade some EU leaders have not been prepared to seriously entertain the idea of Turkish membership." Moreover, Turkey accuses the EU of double-standards on the fight against terrorism and refers to the presence and activities of Kurdish Workers Party (PKK) in several European countries.
Amanda Paul, an expert on Turkey at the think-tank European Policy Centre, wrote that "despite the EU recognising the PKK as a terrorist organisation in 2002, PKK supporters continue to hold rallies in several EU member states." She referred to a June 2017 Europol report that cited Germany as well as Belgium, France and Romania as states where the PKK could freely carry out propaganda activities and fundraising.
She also cautioned EU and its member states not to "allow themselves to be caught in a perpetual war of words with Ankara, which unfortunately is currently the case." Paul suggested that the "EU should first look for avenues for constructive engagement that could help reduce tensions. Second, it should find ways to boost support for Turkish democratic advocates, who also view EU engagement in the country as important." All in all, analyst are of the view that Turkey's future relations with Europe are bound to face more hurdles and problems. (end) nk.hb