The Director General of the European Union Military Staff (DGEUMS), Admiral Hervé Bléjean, said that the solution to the crisis in the eastern Mediterranean definitely passes through the dialogue table, stressing the need to respect the sovereignty of states.
The admiral added that Libya is a source of concern to the Europeans, and that it is “the key to the stability” of the African coast. He also considered that “the intervention of several foreign parties in Libya created a dangerous dynamic.”
In an interview with a European media on Thursday, Bléjean said, “European countries differ among themselves about the eastern Mediterranean crisis,” adding that “some European countries do not consider the eastern Mediterranean crisis a priority.”
He also revealed that there are consultations to appoint a European military advisor accredited to Ankara.
Bléjean’s comments come after a meeting held between some European Union member states bordering the Mediterranean. The bloc of 7 countries said on Thursday that they will prepare a list of new sanctions against Turkey at the end of September, if Ankara does not return to the negotiating table to resolve the regional dispute with Greece and Cyprus.
In a statement published Thursday, the bloc said they affirm their “full support and solidarity with Cyprus and Greece.” Portugal, Spain, France, Italy, Malta, Greece and Cyprus are the countries constituting the bloc.
“We believe that in light of the lack of progress in engaging Turkey in dialogue and unless it ends its unilateral activities, the European Union is ready to draw up a list of additional punitive measures that can be discussed in the European Council on September 24-25,” the statement added.