ATHENS — "After many months of delays and dithering, the message that the European Union is sending Turkey in response to the greatest escalation of Turkish aggression in the last 25 years is unbalanced and falls short what is needed and the occasion demands," main opposition SYRIZA-Progressive Alliance said in an announcement on Friday, regarding the conclusions of the European Council with respect to Turkey.

The party noted that the EU is "correctly establishing a dual Euro-Turkish approach of pressure and cooperation that Greece must exploit to the fullest" but also pointed to the very detailed description of the next steps in the positive agenda versus the simple reference to "using options and tools" rather than outlining a detailed mechanism of sanctions in the opposite case.

It also noted the lack of a clear definition of the actions that violate international law and would trigger such restrictive measures and that the reference regarding the Turkish research vessel "Oruc Reis" was a "step backward" in terms of Greek positions from the Council conclusions of October 2020. The wording regarding the Turkish-Libyan memorandum was also clearly weaker in relation to that of December 2019, the party added, while Turkey's 'casus belli' threat and airspace violations "are not even mentioned".