On Thursday, the Spanish Foreign Minister, Arancha Gonzalez Laya, affirmed that all actors in Libya should be engaged in the current negotiations.
Gonzalez confirmed that Spain shares the European Union’s position of solidarity with Cyprus and Greece, against Turkey’s unilateral actions in the eastern Mediterranean. She added that, “The Turkish president’s continuous hinting at the use of force is unacceptable. We must avoid any military confrontation in the eastern Mediterranean.”
She stressed the importance of holding negotiations among countries that share the same maritime boundaries. This is necessary to achieve the peaceful use of energy in the Mediterranean Sea.
The Spanish FM also stressed the need to combat illegal immigration in southern Mediterranean states, in addition to providing support to migrant countries and help improve their economic development.
Notably, the Greek Prime Minister, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, accused Turkey of “imperialist fantasies with aggressive actions from Syria to Libya, from Somalia to Cyprus, and the Aegean to the Caucasus.” This was during a meeting on Wednesday with the leaders of Cyprus and Egypt.
Mitsotakis said Turkey had been using “extreme rhetoric,” and taking unilateral actions while ignoring international order. Ankara has also been rejecting appeals for dialogue from the EU, Russia, and the United States.