EU Summit boosts European Maritime Security also on Oil/Gas+Slams Turkish threats v. Cyprus+Greece

*Brussels/EU Summit/Angelo Marcopolo/- For the 1st time in a joint move, the Summit of 28 EU Heads of State/Governments, officially adopted a new Definition of EU's Security/Defence Policy, which includes European Sea areas and Energy resources (such as Off-Shore Oil/Gas, etc), while also clearly Warning 3rd Countries as Turkey to "avoid any Threats" against "EU Member States" (as Cyprus, Greece, etc) who exerce their "Sovereign Rights" to "Explore and Exploit their natural resources in accordance with the EU acquis and ...the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea".

At the latest in a series of various Harassing attempts, Ankara provocatively sent recently its Ship "Barbarossa" to violate and threaten Cyprus' Exclusive Economic Zone's block No 3, close to Israel, the same days that Cyprus' President Nicos Anastassiades was making his 1st official visit to neighbouring Egypt to meet its Prime Minister Hazem El-Bablawi for the signature of a Framework Agreement on Joint Development of Oil/Gas Resources existing in both sides of the two neighbouring Countries' respective EEZ middle-lines, as well as on Air Transports, etc. according to Official sources.

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   But, on the contrary, December 2013 EU Council's final Conclusions strongly "Stress the Need to Respect the Sovereignity of (EU) Member States over their Territorial Sea", in a crystal-clear Message explicitly addressed to Turkey by the 28's Decisions on EU Enlargement and Good Neighborhood Policies, officially endorsed by the EU Summit of Heads of State/Government, at the same time with the most recent Developments on EU's common Security and Defence policy.

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=> In consequence, "in this Context", the European "Union expresses ....Serious Concern, and urges Turkey to Avoid any kind of Threat or action directed against a(n EU) Member State, or source of Friction or actions, which could Damage good neighbourly relations and the Peaceful settlement of Disputes".         

- "Turkey Needs to Commit itself UnEquivocally to good Neighbourly relations and to the Peaceful settlement of disputes in accordance with the U.N. Charter, having recourse, if necessary, to the International Court of Justice", Denounced anew the 28 EU Heads of State/Government, Endorsing the draft Decisions prepared by their Foreign Ministers just a few Days earlier here.     

+ "Moreover, the EU stresses again all the Sovereign Rights of EU Member States which include, inter alia, entering into bilateral agreements, and to explore and exploit their natural resources in accordance with the EU acquis and international law, including the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, and also ...the need to respect the sovereignty of Member States over their territorial sea". ----------------------------------  

 - Speaking on Friday to Journalists in Brussels, including "EuroFora", the incoming EU President-in-office for the period of January - June 2014, Prime Minister of Greece, Nicos Samaras, (Comp. also other Statements by Samaras, in reply to a Different topical Question by "Eurofora", at : http://www.eurofora.net/newsflashes/news/samarasmerkelhollandeoneurussia.html ), expressed Satisfaction for the fact that, for the 1st time, EU's Definition of "Security" is Modernized, updated and Enlarged, by Extending it to a series of "New Challenges", and particularly about the Sea, such as off Shore Gas/Oil Energy Resources, Ship Transports, etc.

Well beyond Cyprus and Greece, it's mainly France (thanks also to its DOM - TOM posessions also to the Pacific Ocean, etc), Italy and Malta, Spain, Denmark, Portugal and the UK, etc. are among the biggest potential beneficiaries of EU's Maritime Security policy's forthcoming development, which would naturally benefit also to main Energy consuming EU Countries, such as Germany, Poland, Austria, etc.

    => The incoming 2014 Greek EU Presidency intends to table "an Horizontal Initiative" on All issues of "EU Sea Policies", "in all its aspects", from Growth and Development, including Energy, up to Security EU strategy, reportedly stressed to his pairs Prime MInister Samaras yesterday, pointing at possible relevant Decisions at the Horizon of the EU Summit of June 2014.  

       Thus, the collective Conclusions of the December 2013 EU Summit launched a "Call for .... an EU Maritime Security Strategy, by June 2014, .... to Respond to Maritime Challenges".  

   Indeed, "New Security Challenges continue to emerge", while "Europe's Internal and External Security dimensions are increasingly interLinked", so that "EU and its Member States" must be "enabled(d) .. to Respond" to them, according to the EU Summit.     Such moves should be done "on the basis of a joint Communication from the (EU) Commission and the (EU's) High Representative, talking into account the Opinions of the (EU) Member States", but also "the subsequent elaboration of Action Plans to Respond to Maritime Challenges", the full Conclusions say.    

 + Significantly, this move goes hand by hand, together with the Parallel "further Strengthening (of) Cooperation (among EU Member States) to Tackle ENERGY Security Challenges", EU Summit 's Conclusions add here.        

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=> The December 2013 EU Summit, (which was the 1st to be Focused on Security and Defence since the adoption of the Lisbon Treaty, providing also for possible "Reinforced Cooperations" between willing EU Member States), stressed anew the principles of "Complementarity", between EU's CFSP and NATO, but also of "Autonomy" in the "Decision-Making" and "in compliance .. with Procedures of each".

    >>> This is so more indispensable, still, as the concrete Example of Turkey shows, its absence could lead to absolute Blockades and Hindrance to act, by Ankara's notorious Political Blackmails, as things stand  : German Chancellor Angie Merkel Denounced the well-known Fact that, despite many efforts to convince Ankara to start playing according to the Rules of the game, nevertheless,  "a Difficult Problem remains in the fact that, Cyprus' conflict having not yet been solved, we (EU) have a common European Interest to Solve it, because, via Turkey's NATO Membership, while Cyprus is an EU Member State,  Tensions still exist", raising some Difficulties in EU - NATO cooperation.

    Indeed, as EU Summit's endorsed final Conclusions remind, at another case of Turkey's isolated Refusal to recognize Cyprus, resulting in Ankara's "VETO" to the application of certain key European/International rules, the European "Council notes with Deep Regret that Turkey, despite repeated calls, continues Refusing to fullfil its obligation of full, non-discriminatory implementation of the Additional Protocol to the Association Agreement towards all (EU) Member States", (i.e. still Hindering the Free Movement of Ships and/or Airplanes related to Cyprus)... . In the absence of progress on this issue, the Council will Maintain its Measures from 2006, which will have a continuous (Negative) Effect on the overall progress of the Negotiations" on EU - Turkey relations."Furthermore, Turkey has Regretfully still Not made progress towards the Necessary Normalisation of its relations with the Republic of Cyprus". Therefore, EU's collective Decision to "Freeze" a number of Chapters in EU - Turkey negotiations is maintained, and the EU "Council invites the (EU)  Commission to continue to Monitor closely, and specifically report on all issues covered by the (Collective) Declaration of the European Community and its Member States of 21 September 2005", (which notoriously replied to Turkish Prime Minister Erdogan's provocative Claims against EU Member Cyprus, at the end of his controversial and too "Hot" visit to the then UK former Prime Minister Blair), "in accordance with (EU's) Conclusions of ... December 2006 and ... 2012". Once again, EU "Council reiterates (also on December 2013) its Call for progress (by Turkey) without any further delay"....

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