EU summit: European leaders seek to impose sanctions on Turkey

On Thursday, German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said that European Union leaders may discuss possible sanctions against Turkey over its actions in the eastern Mediterranean in December.

Turkey has entered into a maritime border dispute with Greece and Cyprus over the size of their exclusive economic zones in the eastern Mediterranean, and Athens and Nicosia have expressed their objection to the presence of Turkish exploration ships in the waters that Greece and Cyprus say are part of their exclusive economic zone.

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said in September that he did not expect the European Union to punish Turkey because of maritime disputes with Greece and Cyprus, and that the bloc did not have a unified position on this issue.

Davutoglu's statement comes after the summit of the seven Mediterranean countries in the European Union (EU-Med) expressed its full support and solidarity with Cyprus and Greece in the face of Turkish confrontation measures, and also proposed expanding sanctions against Ankara.

T/S

ANHA