Josep Borrell, the European Union’s High Representative for Security and Foreign Policy, stated that the EU had no interest in seeing Turkish or Russian military bases off the coast of Italy.
In statements to the German ‘Der Spiegel’ newspaper, Borrell stressed the necessity of discussing Turkey’s violations of international law and illegal exploration operations off the coast of Cyprus, as well as its interventions in Libya and Syria.
Borrell emphasized the need for negotiations with Ankara, describing dealing with it as “the greatest challenge to European foreign policy”.
On Tuesday, the EU mission in Libya confirmed in a statement the need for an end to the hostilities in Libya and a return to dialogue. It also underscored the need to stop regional players from further fueling the conflict.
The Mission said that the European Union must clearly indicate that the threats to resort to military intervention are dangerous and only serve to exacerbate the conflict, leading to further fighting.