The new German government with the Greens at the helm of the Foreign Ministry raises expectations on the crucial issue of arms exports to Turkey.
This is confirmed by Hanna Neumann, MEP of the Greens, who spoke to SKAI and Apostolos Maggiriadis stressing in fact that a strict law will be passed on this issue.
The new chancellery will also look at human rights issues in Ankara.
The interview in detail:
Europe is in transition and we now have a new government in Germany. What should be our first expectations from this new government?
HANNA NOIMAN: The new government has been in office for a week now, but I think that the first visits of Analina Birbok in her first week, which went to Paris, Brussels, but also to Poland and Stockholm, clearly show that you can expect a bigger, say , cruelty to those who violate human rights around the world.
You obviously realize that here in Greece we are very interested in what is happening in Turkey. You were also very critical of your attempt to impose an arms embargo on Turkey. How do you see this case evolving?
HANNA NOIMAN: What is clear is that the new German government is going to take a more restrictive and strict approach to arms exports. We have been in government for a week. And what we are doing right now is to see and have an overview of the export decisions that have been made by previous governments and to see how we deal with them, but also to create a much stricter and more transparent system for the future. This is one of the things we have in the government agreement, that a strict law on arms exports will be passed.
You referred to human rights and you know the story of Mr. Kavala in Turkey. I would like to ask you if you believe that there will be developments on this front.
HANNA NOIMAN:There is a lot of pressure from the European Union on the case of Mr. Kavalas, while we also have the rulings of the European Court of Human Rights against Turkey on his case. Thus, the case of Osman Kavala, as we unfortunately have to say, and other political prisoners in Turkey will certainly remain high on the agenda.
There are also new challenges for Europe under the French Presidency, which will take over on 1 January. What are your aspirations and what do you expect from France?
HANNA NOIMAN : First of all, the EU presidency will be a little different because while France will hold the presidency, the French presidential elections will be held at the same time. So we have to see how much the Presidency will be affected by the election campaign. I hope Macron does not do that. He has three basic things on his plate. The first is to pass the Green Agreement and the “Fit for 55” package, which must be done to protect the environment through Parliament and the Council during its Presidency. The second is his own view of the Conference on the Future of Europe, an initiative launched by France. So there will be first reports and we will have to see how we will implement the proposals of European citizens in the way the European Union works. And the third, which is a typical French proposal, is to strengthen the security, but also the defense of the European Union. And here it must be very clear. One thing is to strengthen security, the other is to do it in a way that is accountable, democratic and transparent.
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