Athens to host 4th European Union-Arab League Summit

The fourth EU-Arab League summit will commence today in Athens. The two days of talks are likely to focus on strategic partnerships on energy, trade, science and technology, and healthcare.

The summit comes after the October 9 Turkish offensive into northeastern Syria. While world leaders have condemned the attack, Russia has initiated a mediation regarding the issue, agreeing to clear the border area of Russian military police and Syrian guards by tomorrow.

Per Ankara and Moscow’s agreement, the Kurdish-dominated Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) will retreat 30 km from the Turkish-Syrian border across northeast Syria by tomorrow to prevent further violence.

While the retreat by the SDF within their territory may place a temporary stopper on Turkish attack, a potential lack of punitive action against Ankara may grant it liberty to employ such tactics in the future as well.

France and Germany have halted the sale of weapons to Turkey to express their frustration with the offensive on Syria. EU and Arab League states are likely to develop a consensus to tackle the resulting regional threat—namely a wave of refugees fleeing the Turkish offensive—through counter measures in economic, cultural, and investment sectors, including military cooperation.

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