Ankara engaging in ‘constructive engagement,’ reducing tensions, says French president

Ankara was moving away from escalation resulting in easing tensions, but European countries are cautious, according to French President Emmanuel Macron on Friday regarding Turkey’s “constructive engagement” in the Mediterranean to halt annual migratory flows.

NEWS IN ENGLISH 26.06.2021, 10:57 Pelin Su Tamer

Ankara engaging in ‘constructive engagement,’ reducing tensions, says French president

Macron said that there were “useful discussions” on the dangerous crossing attempts in the Mediterranean around summertime and dialogue of “openness and firmness” between Turkey and the EU “has paid off.”

His comments came during a news conference where he gave an overview of discussions held at an EU summit in Brussels.

“Last year we had defined milestones for Ankara to get out of the attitude of escalation in which it had entered and to take the path of a constructive engagement with the EU,” he said, adding that tensions with Turkey have reduced and some of the demands made by the EU “have been followed by action.”

“We can only encourage Turkey to continue its efforts, in particular by being constructive in the treatment of the various regional conflicts,” said Macron, referring to inter-Cypriot discussions.

He said the “appeasement is evident” with Turkey but the EU will continue to be vigilant during the summer in full support of Cyprus and Greece to re-engage in the joint work on the question of refugees. “Turkey has a responsibility and plays an important role,” he said.

The EU signed a new deal with Turkey on Friday providing additional assistance of €3 billion ($3.6 billion) over the next few years to provide assistance to Syrian refugees on its territory and effectively prevent migrants from crossing the Mediterranean.

Still, thousands of refugees from West Asia and Africa risk their lives during the summer months and attempt to cross the sea to reach Europe.

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Takımlar	O	P
1. Galatasaray	35	96
2. Fenerbahçe	35	90
3. Trabzonspor	35	58
4. Başakşehir	35	55
5. Beşiktaş	35	54
6. Alanyaspor	35	49
7. Kasımpasa	35	49
8. Rizespor	35	49
9. Sivasspor	35	48
10. Antalyaspor	35	45
11. A.Demirspor	35	44
12. Samsunspor	35	42
13. Kayserispor	35	41
14. Ankaragücü	35	39
15. Karagümrük	35	37
16. Konyaspor	35	37
17. Gaziantep FK	35	35
18. Hatayspor	35	34
19. Pendikspor	35	33
20. İstanbulspor	35	16

Takımlar	O	P
1. Eyüpspor	33	72
2. Göztepe	33	69
3. Sakaryaspor	33	57
4. Bodrumspor	33	56
5. Ahlatçı Çorum FK	33	56
6. Kocaelispor	33	55
7. Bandırmaspor	33	50
8. Boluspor	33	50
9. Gençlerbirliği	33	50
10. Erzurumspor	33	44
11. Manisa FK	33	40
12. Ümraniye	33	40
13. Keçiörengücü	33	39
14. Tuzlaspor	33	37
15. Adanaspor	33	36
16. Şanlıurfaspor	33	35
17. Altay	33	9
18. Giresunspor	33	7

Takımlar	O	P
1. Arsenal	36	83
2. M.City	35	82
3. Liverpool	36	78
4. Aston Villa	36	67
5. Tottenham	35	60
6. Newcastle	35	56
7. Chelsea	35	54
8. M. United	35	54
9. West Ham United	36	49
10. Bournemouth	36	48
11. Brighton	35	47
12. Wolves	36	46
13. Fulham	36	44
14. Crystal Palace	36	43
15. Everton	36	37
16. Brentford	36	36
17. Nottingham Forest	36	29
18. Luton Town	36	26
19. Burnley	36	24
20. Sheffield United	36	16

Takımlar	O	P
1. Real Madrid	34	87
2. Girona	34	74
3. Barcelona	34	73
4. Atletico Madrid	34	67
5. Athletic Bilbao	34	61
6. Real Sociedad	34	54
7. Real Betis	34	52
8. Valencia	34	47
9. Villarreal	34	45
10. Getafe	34	43
11. Deportivo Alaves	34	41
12. Sevilla	34	41
13. Osasuna	34	39
14. Las Palmas	34	37
15. Celta Vigo	34	34
16. Rayo Vallecano	34	34
17. Mallorca	34	32
18. Cadiz	34	26
19. Granada	34	21
20. Almeria	34	17