Turkey’s Erdogan brushes off EU sanctions threat

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan brushed off possible European Union sanctions against Turkey on Wednesday, saying they would not affect his country.

Speaking to reporters before departing for a visit to Azerbaijan, Erdogan also accused the EU of acting "dishonestly" toward Turkey and of failing to keep its promises.

Erdogan's comments came ahead of a meeting in Brussels where EU leaders are scheduled to address Turkey's missions to explore gas reserves in waters claimed by EU members Greece and Cyprus, and could decide to impose sanctions on Turkey.

"Any decision to impose sanctions against Turkey won't be of great concern to Turkey," Erdogan told reporters.

At a summit in October, European leaders warned Turkey to withdraw its energy research ships or face punitive measures.

Late last month, the Turkish seismic survey vessel Oruc Reis...