AVRUPA BİRLİĞİ’NİN BATI SAHRA SORUNUNDAKİ POZİSYONU: AKDENİZ’DE İŞBİRLİĞİ İÇİN BİR ENGEL

Akdeniz İçin Birlik, 2008 yılında, Avrupa Birliği ve Akdeniz’deki ortak ülkeler tarafından Akdeniz havzasını ortak projelerin geliştirilmesi yoluyla barışı, istikrarı ve refahı garanti altına alan bir diyalog, değişim ve işbirliği alanına çevirmek amacıyla kurulmuştur. Ancak, Batı Sahra sorunu Fas ve Cezayir arasında projelerin başlatılmasını engellediği gibi tüm Mağrip bölgesinde de ortak projeleri riske sokmaktadır. Bu makale, Fas ile olan güçlü ekonomik ilişkilerine ve Avrupa Komşuluk Politikası ile Fas’a sağladığı mali yardımlara rağmen Avrupa Birliği’nin Batı Sahra sorununun çözümünde neden pasif bir pozisyonda kalmayı tercih ettiğini açıklamaktadır. Avrupa Birliği’nin pasifliği Fransa, Amerika Birleşik Devletleri ve İspanya’nın Batı Sahra sorunundaki politikalarından kaynaklanmaktadır. Fransa ve Amerika Birleşik Devletleri Fas ve Kuzey Afrika’daki stratejik çıkarlarından dolayı Fas’ın otonomi planına destek vermekte, aynı nedenlerden dolayı İspanya ise Fas’ın çıkarlarına uyan dengeli bir politika yürütmektedir. Avrupa Birliği bu üyelerini ve Amerika Birleşik Devletleri’ni rahatsız etmemek amacıyla soruna müdahil olmamakta ve Fas üzerinde diplomatik baskı kurmamaktadır. Bundan dolayı Avrupa Birliği, Batı Sahra sorununda pasif bir pozisyon benimsemiştir ve bu pasif pozisyon Akdeniz İçin Birlik’in kapsamındaki Akdeniz’deki işbirliği çabalarının önünde ciddi bir engeldir.

AVRUPA BİRLİĞİ’NİN BATI SAHRA SORUNUNDAKİ POZİSYONU: AKDENİZ’DE İŞBİRLİĞİ İÇİN BİR ENGEL

In 2008, the Union for the Mediterranean was established by the members of the European Union and the Mediterranean partner countries to turn the Mediterranean basin into an area of dialogue, exchange and cooperation to guarantee peace, stability and prosperity through the development of common projects. However, the Western Sahara conflict prevents the initiation of common projects between Morocco and Algeria and also puts at risk common projects in the entire Maghreb region. This article aims to explain why the European Union, despite its significant leverage on Morocco through strong economic relations and the European Neighborhood Policy’s financial contributions, prefers to remain inactive in solving the Western Sahara conflict. It is argued that the European Union’s inactivity is due to the policies of France, the United States and Spain on the Western Sahara conflict. France and the United States support the Moroccan autonomy plan on account of their strategic interests in Morocco and North Africa, and for the same reasons, Spain pursues a balanced policy that suits Moroccan interests. The European Union neither wants to upset these member states nor the United States by intervening in the conflict and putting diplomatic pressure on Morocco. Therefore, the European Union has adopted an inactive position on the Western Sahara conflict that seriously hinders Mediterranean cooperation efforts under the Union for the Mediterranean.

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