Nicosia wants tougher measures against Turkey

The sanctions that were discussed on Thursday by national envoys of European Union member-states against Turkey over its illegal drilling activities off Cyprus do not, reportedly, go far enough for Nicosia, which wants tougher measures.

According to a draft statement by the European Council, with which most EU member-states are in agreement, the measures against Turkey should include a suspension of negotiations on the Comprehensive Air Transport Agreement and a halting of high-level dialogues for the time being. It also calls for a reduction of pre-accession assistance to Turkey for 2020 and for the European Investment Bank to review its lending activities in Turkey.

However, the measures in the draft are seen, by Cyprus in particular, as too general and vague, with critics saying that they do not include a clear reference to restrictive measures that the European...