The European Union announced on Friday that a list with sanctions against Turkey has been drafted and that it will be discussed at the Summit on September 24-25, 2020.
At a press conference following the informal EU foreign ministers Gymnich meeting in Berlin, EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs & Security Policy and European Commission Vice-President, Josep Borrell that an agreement for the drafting of sanctions against Turkey does exist.
He stressed that “Turkey must refrain from unilateral actions in the eastern Mediterranean, as there is growing disappointment with Turkish behavior across the bloc.”
The measures, meant to limit Turkey’s ability to explore for natural gas in contested waters, could include individuals, ships or the use of European ports, Josep Borrell said. The EU would focus on everything related to “activities we consider illegal,” he added.
He said the bloc was ready to sanction Turkish vessels, block their access to EU ports and cut off supplies. The EU could also impose sanctions on the Turkish economy.
“We can go to measures related to sectoral activities … where the Turkish economy is related to the European economy,” Borrell said.
German Foreign Affairs Minister Heiko Maas said that restrictive measures against Turkey must be discussed at the EU Summit in September.
He added that relations with Ankara are tense due to the ongoing dispute in the eastern Mediterranean.
Maas stressed his belief that the only viable way out of this regional geopolitical crisis is “constructive dialogue.”
Greece has been pushing for sanctions against Turkey due to “its delinquent actions” that challenge Greece’s sovereignty each and every day and with no perspective to be halted, as Ankara reitarates.
