Source: European Parliament
Question for written answer E-001895/2024
to the Commission
Rule 144
Vangelis Meimarakis (PPE)
There have recently been two worrying developments concerning Türkiye:
its application to join the BRICS countries and the inclusion and teaching of the revisionist narrative about the ‘Blue Homeland’ in school textbooks.
Türkiye is an EU candidate country that has an Association Agreement and is in a customs union with the EU. It is also a member of NATO. How is this compatible with BRICS membership given these countries’ conflicting interests with the EU and NATO?
Meanwhile, the ‘Blue Homeland’ narrative violates the sovereign rights of Greece and Cyprus under the Convention on the Law of the Sea and has led to the illegal Memorandum of Understanding between Türkiye and Lebanon. This narrative undermines the EU’s work in the field of energy in the Eastern Mediterranean and can become a source of conflict. It will also instil in Türkiye’s young generations a false understanding of the country’s history and obligations.
In view of this:
- 1.How will the Commission address these two issues in the context of the EU-Türkiye high-level dialogue?
- 2.How will it address the digital diplomacy Türkiye has built through social media, which is reinforcing the ‘Blue Homeland’ narrative beyond Turkish borders?
Submitted: 1.10.2024