Cyprus Editorial: Does Ashton look after EU interests?

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It appears that Katherine Ashton may have her priorities mixed up. As EU High Representative for foreign affairs of the 27-member group, she has reportedly rebuffed twice the complaints put forward by Foreign Minister Erato Kozakou Marcoullis about Turkey’s antics and show of military might in the eastern Mediterranean.
So much that President Christofias found the opportunity to raise the issue during the critical European Council meeting in Brussels over the weekend, finding an opportunity to draw a parallel between the EU’s efforts to impose further sanctions on Iran and Syria, and Turkey’s behaviour as a country that knocks on the door of the European Union to become a member.
There is no doubt that the EU has a duty to make it absolutely clear to Turkey that it is not possible for a country, which is a non-member, to impose conditions in relation to who will hold the Presidency of the Council of the European Union on July 1.
Christofias later said that “Mrs Ashton explained that she is in constant contact with Turkey and the Turkish leadership, making it clear that the member states are 27 and not 26.”
Although the matter has been postponed to the next Council in December, Cyprus, too, needs to raise the stakes in order to convince our 26 partners that the EU ought to have a single, unanimous position vis a vis Turkey. On the one hand, more is expected of Cyprus to try and save the disastrous reunification talks, but on the other hand, Cyprus will be sitting on one of the potentially largest gas reserves that could offer added security to the European energy sector that would need to rely less on the likes of Russia, Ukraine and Turkey to supply and transport gas supplies from the east.
Perhaps its about time Mrs Ashton realises that she reports to her European partners and no one else.