EU leaders last Friday gave the green light for additional sanctions against Turkey over its exploration of gas reserves in Eastern Mediterranean waters claimed by Greece and Cyprus.
In a statement issued following a two-day summit meeting, the 27 EU leaders invited their Foreign Ministers “to adopt additional listings for sanctions concerning restrictive measures in view of Turkey’s unauthorized drilling activities in the Eastern Mediterranean.”
They reaffirmed the ‘’EU’s strategic interest in the development of a cooperative and mutually beneficial relationship with Turkey.’’
‘’The offer of a positive EU-Turkey agenda remains on the table, provided Turkey shows readiness to promote a genuine partnership with the Union and its Member States and to resolve differences through dialogue and in accordance with international law,’’ the statement added.
‘’Such an agenda could cover the areas of the economy and trade, people to people contacts, High level dialogues and continued cooperation on migration issues,’’ it said.
But the EU leders noted that ‘’regrettably, Turkey has engaged in unilateral actions and provocations and escalated its rhetoric against the EU, EU member states and European leaders.’’
The leaders told EU foreign affairs chief Josep Borrell to draw up a report on the state of EU-Turkey political, economic and trade relations and to suggest how to proceed, including on widening sanctions, and submit it to the leaders in March next year.
The 27 EU countries are split over how best to handle Turkey. France, Greece and d Cyprus have pushed for tougher measures like economic sanctions, but other countries are concerned about further undermining the country’s already ravaged economy and destabilizing the region.
Several southern EU member states including Italy and Spain favor a relatively soft line, as does Germany.
The Stop Erdogn Now!, an international colalition of organisations, deplored that the European Council ‘’again postponed taking meaningful action against Turkey’’ and failed to impose ‘’tough sanctions’’ that had been called for by an earlier resolution of the European Parliament.
Turkish President Tayyip Recep Erdogan ‘’continues to challenge the interests of European member states, promoting illegal exploration and drilling activities in the Eastern Mediterranean, and violating the airspace of Greece and Greek and Cypriot territorial waters,’’ the group said.
‘’There is increasing evidence of President Erdogan’s active support for organisations on the EU terrorist list, including ISIS and Hamas. This active support instrumentalises Islamist extremism in Europe, threatens our citizens and challenges some of the basic values of the European Union: democracy, secularism, peaceful community cohesion, universal human rights and freedom of the press,’’ the group added.