EU Slaps Limited Sanctions on Turkey Amid East Med Dispute

EU leaders at the start of a two day EU summit, in Brussels, 10 December 2020. Photo: EPA-EFE/OLIVIER HOSLET/POOL

The decision allows the EU to penalize individuals and companies involved in planning and carrying out gas exploration in the East Med, with sanctions of travel bans into EU countries and asset freezes.

The administrators of Turkish Petroleum Corporation, which is leading Turkey's gas drillings in the sea, is already on an EU sanctions list. The new sanctions add additional people and organisations to the list.

"Regrettably, Turkey has engaged in unilateral actions and provocations and escalated its rhetoric against the EU, EU member states and European leaders," a statement from the summit in Brussels said.

"The European Council reaffirms 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," it added.

Turkey's drilling activities in disputed waters prompted Greece, Cyprus and France to demand heavier sanctions, including freezing Turkey's EU accession talks and cutting out Ankara from a customs union but their demands were not supported by other countries, by Germany in particular.

Possible harsher steps were postponed until March as EU countries conflicted on how to handle Ankara.

Before the EU summit, Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said the credibility of the European Union was on the line. "EU leaders promised consequences during the last summit in October if Turkey continued its delinquent...

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