The crisis in Eastern Mediterranean will be the focus of the Med7 summit
Turkey's presence in the waters of the eastern Mediterranean makes the European Union uncomfortable. This issue will be the focus of the summit to be held this Thursday in Ajaccio, Corsica, between the seven southern countries of the Community bloc. On the game board are the rights being disputed for hydrocarbon exploration in the Mare Nostrum.
At this meeting, European leaders will discuss some of the main challenges facing the Mediterranean region, as reported by the Elysée Palace in an official statement, stressing that the countries of Med7, the name given to this alliance, "share the same desire to promote a new dynamic of cooperation in this area, specifically in everything related to sustainable development or sovereignty".
The relationship between the Mediterranean countries and Turkey has worsened in recent months, after Ankara announced the start of seismic prospecting activities by the ship Orus Reis on the Greek islands of Kastellorizo and Crete. In response, France strengthened its military presence in the Mediterranean, particularly in support of Greece, further exacerbating tensions in the region.
Med7 is an informal alliance between France, Spain, Portugal, Italy, Greece, Malta and Cyprus. The aim of this coalition is to ensure better coordination on common issues such as economic, social migratory and defence policy. The various summits also allow the voice of the Mediterranean countries, which represent almost 40% of the EU's overall GDP, to be heard at European level, according to the data provided by the French newspaper Le Figaro.
This latest summit, chaired by Emmanuel Macron, aims to unify the positions of the Mediterranean leaders vis-à-vis the presence of the Bosphorus country in this region. The Elysée Palace reported that the aim of this meeting is "to make progress in reaching a consensus on the EU's relationship with Turkey, particularly with a view to the European summit on September 24 and 25".
The origin of this alliance dates back to 2016, when the heads of state of these seven countries met in Athens at the initiative of the then Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras. Since then, the Mediterranean leaders have met on several occasions, such as in Athens in September 2016 to analyse the problem of security on the Mediterranean borders and in Madrid in April 2017 to discuss the Brexit issue, among others.
This Thursday, however, the seven heads of state will also discuss the major challenges of the new academic year, as well as the European recovery plan, Brexit or migration. Before the start of this summit, Emmanuel Macron will meet with the Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, according to reports from several places.
The strategic importance of this region has always been present as, on the one hand, it is the gateway to the Red Sea through Egypt and, on the other, the gateway to Europe. The discovery of large gas deposits by Israel, Egypt and Lebanon in 2009 has opened a new wound in the area. The conflict in this region has entered a new phase, marked by threats of war and a series of military threats.
The meeting between the leaders of the Mediterranean takes place just as the military manoeuvres conducted by Turkey and the so-called -- by Ankara -- Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) are coming to an end. However, it should be noted that the Eurasian nation does not recognise the Republic of Cyprus and claims that the citizens of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, a state that only recognises Ankara, are entitled to a share of the island's gas resources.
Beyond the crisis in the Mediterranean, the Libyan conflict will also be analysed at this meeting. NATO member Turkey continues to transfer weapons to Libya and send fighters from Syria and other nationalities in support of the Tripoli government. The European Union has set up the Irini mission to stem the flow of weapons to Libya, a country devastated by the war between Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar, leader of the Libyan National Army (LNA), and Fayez Sarraj, prime minister of the Government of National Accord (GNA). Despite this, the country led by Erdogan has continued to send mercenaries to the North African nation, according to the Syrian Human Rights Observatory, which has repeatedly denounced this situation in recent months.
Furthermore, the future Pact on Migration and Asylum, the situation in Lebanon and the European funds due to come into effect in 2021 will also be the focus of discussion at the seventh Med 7 summit. At this meeting, the Barcelona Process, which is about to celebrate its 25th anniversary, is also on the table. The Barcelona Process was a regional cooperation project in which several policies related to development between the countries of the Mediterranean basin were proposed, among other issues.
The debate on the migration crisis comes after thousands of people had to sleep outdoors after the fire which devastated the Moria refugee camp. This event comes six months after Erdogan opened the borders arguing that the European Union had not fulfilled its promise to assist the 3.6 million Syrian refugees it receives. The Turkish leader explained he took this decision since Turkey could no longer cope with the large number of migrants arriving in the country fleeing from the war in Syria, a conflict in which Ankara is also present.