EU summit to condemn Turkey's 'illegal actions' in East Med, draft shows

The European Council "strongly condemns Turkey's continued illegal actions in the Eastern Mediterranean and the Aegean Sea" and underlines its "full solidarity with Cyprus and Greece," according to a draft of conclusions for the European Union summit taking place in Brussels on Thursday.

The draft, which has been seen by Kathimerini, notes that "the European Council urgently calls on Turkey to cease these actions and respect the sovereign rights of Cyprus to explore and exploit its natural resources in accordance with EU and International Law."

It goes on to express "grave concern" about the continued detention of EU citizens in Turkey and calls for the "swift and positive resolution of these issues in a dialogue with Member States."