Merkel bemoans lack of progress with Turkey

In the runup to the European Council on December 10-11, German Chancellor Angela Merkel reportedly rued in a virtual meeting with the European Parliament’s European Affairs Committees that “no progress has been made relations with Turkey” as its moves “are very aggressive or provocative.”

Nonetheless, in what is seen as a move to avoid European Union sanctions, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is expected to deliver a speech on the first day of the summit – announcing reforms in the areas of justice, individual freedoms and freedom of expression.

Meanwhile, EU High Representative Josep Borrell is expected to draw up a list of sectoral sanctions against Turkey, which will be on the table and will be activated in the event that Ankara’s behavior deteriorates in the coming months. However, even if Ankara were to change its stance, the possible dialogue with Greece is not expected before the new year.

Yesterday diplomatic sources denied media reports of a secret meeting between Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias and Merkel during the former’s visit to Berlin on November 4.

The same media reports, which also suggested a divergence of views between the Foreign Ministry and the PM’s Office regarding the summit, also claimed that Dendias described Merkel as “naive” in an interview with Politico on Saturday.

A diplomatic source dismissed the reports, saying his use of the word “naive” was taken out of context and that Dendias never made any characterization of Merkel.

What is certain is that Athens is insisting on the imposition of an arms embargo on Turkey and that this was one of the main reasons behind Dendias’ visit to Germany.