Turkish opposition may join hands with EU against Erdogan

Shaimaa Yahia

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has become a headache in the head for the international community.

Leaders attending the EU summit in Brussels on December 11 called for imposing sanctions on some Turkish officials and institutions for illegally exploring natural gas in the Eastern Mediterranean.

They asked the Turkish president to refrain from running into more adventures in Libya and stop sending arms and mercenaries to the Arab country.

The same leaders added that Erdogan’s involvement in Libya poses threats to Europe’s security.

The EU threatened also to impose severe economic sanctions on Turkey during its summit in March next year.

The opposition Republican People’s Party backed the potential EU sanctions. A party leader said the party would maintain its ties with the EU and that it is not part of any conflicts between Ankara and Brussels.

The same leader said the party would know the exact restrictions the EU would impose on Turkey during its summit in March.

He called on the Turkish government not to adopt a discourse hostile to European capitals.

The leader accused the ruling Justice and Development Party of responsibility for tensions in relations between Turkey and the EU. He called for dialogue between the two sides, noting that solutions to problems between the two sides can only be found through diplomatic means.

Turkish academics believe, meanwhile, that the expected European sanctions on Turkey would negatively affect the Turkish economy.

They also believe that the sanctions would not succeed in forcing the Turkish government to change policies or its conduct.