In a letter to EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell on Wednesday, Greek Minister of Foreign Affairs Nikos Dendias demanded the bloc to sanction Turkey’s illegal fishing activities in Greece’s territorial waters.
THE LETTER
Dendias referred to a 5 January incident, wherein a patrol boat of the Greek Coast Guard “was harassed by a Turkish vessel” for performing their ordained duties of identifying three Turkish fishing boats found fishing in the Greek waters southeast of the Farmakonisi islands.
The issue of fishing rights is not only a national issue, it is primarily a 🇪🇺 issue. We have the obligation to inform about a practice that violates the 🇪🇺 acquis. (Statement regarding my letter to @JosepBorrellF on the illegal activity of Turkish fishing vessels). pic.twitter.com/YNkzouAiLq
— Nikos Dendias (@NikosDendias) January 12, 2023
As per sources, Dendias wrote, “This repeated Turkish practice creates a dangerous security environment and increases the possibility of an ‘accident,’ which could be used as a tool by Ankara in order to escalate the tension between Greece and Turkey.”
The letter further pointed out the “avoidance of cooperation” and “aggressive attitude” of Turkish fishermen with not only the Greek Coast Guard, but also Greek fishermen. He warned that if Turkey continues such practices, the EU must “take measures that will impose economic costs on Turkey.”
DENDIAS DEMANDS BLOC-WIDE EMBARGO ON TURKISH FISHERIES
Dendias requested Borrell to initiate regulation related to illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing, which stipulates that “if a third country does not comply, it is labelled as ‘non-cooperating’ and fisheries products can be banned from the EU market.”
Dendias noted that such a reaction “will send a resounding message to Ankara and demonstrate in practice the solidarity of the EU towards a member state, which on an almost daily basis faces the questioning of its sovereignty and threats of war.”
Dendias also conveyed his concerns to European Commission Vice-President Margaritis Schinas and EU Commissioner for the Environment, Oceans and Fisheries Virginijus Sinkevicius.
FISHING RIGHTS A “EUROPEAN ISSUE”
In a statement, Dendias highlighted that “fishing rights is not only a national issue, [but] it is primarily a European issue,” adding that it “harms the European environment as a whole and violates the European acquis.”
“This letter, I believe, can serve as a signal to Turkey that tolerance for certain things is coming to an end,” he asserted.
TURKEY ESCALATING TENSIONS WITH GREECE
Greek experts believe that Ankara is trying to “artificially” increase tensions with Athens due to the impending crucial elections in June in Turkey. According to surveys, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s party appears to have lost the support of youths, ranking last among their favourites.