The ministry of foreign affairs of Turkey called the position of the Council of the European Union on trade and economic cooperation between Moscow and Ankara unacceptable and biased, a statement of the ministry reads.
"EU Council decisions on general issues ignore Ankara's diplomatic efforts to end the war in Ukraine and its firm support for that country's territorial integrity. <...> We are surprised that despite Turkey's official position [on the settlement], which is to refuse to participate in unilateral sanctions, it [position] is presented as a deliberate attempt to derail anti-Russian sanctions," the document said.
The ministry recalled that Turkey's trade and economic ties with Russia are not intended to reduce the effectiveness of anti-Russian sanctions. "Support for dialogue with Moscow is also important in terms of minimizing the negative consequences of the war. The grain agreement and prisoner exchange between Russia and Ukraine are examples of this," the statement said.
The Turkish MFA also said that recent decisions by the EU Council show that "the common interests of the European Union are being sacrificed for the interests of individual states." "Such steps do not contribute to the development of relations between Turkey and the EU and do not form a constructive agenda. We reject the EU's unfair claims against Turkey on issues of democracy, rule of law and human rights. Moreover, Ankara does not accept the EU's unfortunate statements regarding the situation in the Eastern Mediterranean and Cyprus," the document stresses.
GSV "Russia - Islamic World"
Photo: Salih Altuntaş/Pixabay
Based on materials from TASS