ANKARA: French President Emmanuel Macron has urged fellow European leaders to stand up to the Turkish government and what he called its 鈥渦nacceptable鈥� provocations as Ankara seeks to expand its energy resources and influence in the eastern Mediterranean.

Leaders of EU countries that border the Mediterranean Sea held an emergency summit in Corsica on Thursday amid fears that mounting tensions over offshore oil and gas drilling rights might escalate into an open conflict with Turkey. Turkish leaders have criticized France and the EU for siding with Greece and Cyprus in the dispute.

鈥淭urkey is no longer a partner in this region,鈥� Macron said before the summit began. 鈥淲e Europeans need to be clear and firm鈥� about the 鈥渋nadmissible behavior鈥� of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan鈥檚 government, he added.

He said European nations should set 鈥渞ed lines鈥� for Turkey and try to restart negotiations, adding: 鈥淲e Mediterraneans need to live in peace. Our goal is to avoid all escalation, but avoiding escalation should not mean passiveness or acceptance. It is up to Turkey to clarify its intentions.鈥�

Dimitar Bechev, a fellow of the Atlantic Council, a nonpartisan US international affairs think tank, told Arab News: 鈥淔rance is already pushing Germany to adopt a united voice on its policy toward Turkey, but I suppose there will be foot dragging. Central and Eastern European countries 鈥� Hungary, Bulgaria, Romania, Poland 鈥� are not eager to pick a fight, either.鈥�

He said that he does not expect the dispute to escalate quickly, however.

鈥淭here might be some diplomatic sanctions, such as travel bans and asset freezes, hitting Erdogan鈥檚 inner circle but not him personally,鈥� he said. 鈥淏ut they will remain symbolic.鈥�

Bechev suggested that Europe should engage with Ankara but project strength, as the EU and Turkey have both common and clashing interests and positions.

鈥淭urkey won鈥檛 get any concessions and will probably go on drilling,鈥� he added

Turkey鈥檚 Foreign Ministry described Macron鈥檚 statement as 鈥渁rrogant鈥� and reminiscent of 鈥渙ld colonial reflexes.鈥� It accused the French president of stoking tensions and putting the 鈥済reater interests鈥� of Europe at risk.

Addressing EU lawmakers, Greek European Affairs Minister Miltiadis Varvitsiotis appealed for support from European partners, warning that the tensions over energy rights 鈥渃onstitute by themselves a grave threat to our common security architecture.鈥�

He said Turkey is looking beyond Greece and represents 鈥渁 major destabilizing factor in the wider area,鈥� citing as evidence of this the Turkish government鈥檚 actions in Libya, Syria and elsewhere.

Greece will not provoke a conflict, he added, but nor will it sit back wait for European help to arrive. 鈥淎t the end of the day, we will defend ourselves, even alone,鈥� he said.

At the Corsica summit, France is calling on European leaders to push for a resumption of German mediation efforts in the eastern Mediterranean dispute. Russia also offered this week to mediate.