Foreign Minister, Nikos Dendias, welcomed the decision of the European Council on Monday to impose economic sanctions against Turkey for its illegal drilling in the Exclusive Economic Zone of Cyprus and to restrict arms exports to Turkey for its military operation to Syria.
The European Union today spoke in a consistent and clear voice that refers to our common European values and the international Law,” Dendias said after the EU Foreign Affairs Council (FAC) in Luxembourg.
“It condemned Turkey for the illegal actions of the invasion of Syria, with specific reference to sanctions, an arms embargo, as well as a very specific interest in the refugee issue,” he added.
Dendias added that “the EU also spoke clearly about the issue of violations of sovereignty and sovereign rights in Cyprus. It went a step further than previous decisions and decided against legal and natural persons, that is what the Cypriot side was clearly seeking. We are very happy about that.”
He stressed “we believe that International Law should always be our guide. In this context, we should all refer to it, and when Turkey violates international law, there must be sanctions, so that everyone can understand how nations must interact and live. ”
EU slams Turkey over illegal drilling in Cyprus and Syria operation
