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European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell has expressed the Union’s concerns about Turkey’s close relations with Russia despite the war in Ukraine, and called on Turkey to comply with sanctions imposed on Moscow, Deutsche Welle Turkish reported.
“Turkey’s policy of not participating in the EU’s restrictive measures against Russia is a growing concern,” Borell said in a letter he sent to the European Parliament, according to reports in the German media on Sunday.
Urging that Turkey should not offer temporary solutions to Russia, Borrell underlined that like all other EU candidate countries, Turkey too is expected to comply with the agreed measures.
The block’s policy chief added that EU officials have conveyed their concerns and expectations to their Turkish counterparts many times.
Relations between Ankara and Moscow have become closer in recent years and remained stable despite the ongoing war in Ukraine.
Along with the UN, Turkey has acted as a mediator between Russia and Ukraine to broker a deal to allow grain exports through a Black Sea corridor. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan held separate telephone conversations with the leaders of Russia and Ukraine to discuss bilateral issues on Sunday.
Turkey will continue sending aid to Ukraine and seeking ways to expand the grain deal with Russia, Erdoğan said after speaking to his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
