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European Union: the 27 agree to sanction Turkey

 

After the compromise on the recovery plan that was found with Poland and Hungary, the 27 reached an agreement on another sensitive issue at the European summit. After bitter talks ended shortly before 1 a.m. (Paris time), the Europeans overcame their divisions to sanction Turkey for its gas exploration work in disputed maritime areas with Greece and Cyprus , according to several diplomatic sources.

“The measures decided will be individual sanctions, and additional measures can be decided if Turkey continues its actions,” said a European diplomat. A list of names will be drawn up in the coming weeks and will be submitted to the member states for approval, according to the conclusions adopted by the Summit of the Twenty-Seven meeting in Brussels. The European leaders gave a mandate to the head of European diplomacy Josep Borrell to “report to them no later than March 2021 on the development of the situation” and then propose, if necessary, to extend the sanctions to new ones. names or new companies, said the European diplomat. “The idea is to tighten the screw gradually,” he said.

The disputes have multiplied with Turkey, engaged in provocative actions against Greece and Cyprus and militarily engaged in the conflicts in Libya, Syria and Nagorno Karabakh. But Turkey is a member of NATO and Ankara has a lot of supporters within the organization, recognize the diplomats of the Organization. All sensitivities were expressed during the summit. The lack of consensus has notably ruled out the adoption of economic sanctions against sectors of activity and Greece’s request to impose a European arms embargo on Turkey.

The threat of reprisals had been raised in October, but several states hesitated: “Germany fearing migratory flows, Italy because of energy links with Turkey, the Eastern countries which see Ankara as an ally of the ‘Important NATO against Russia,’ explains a diplomatic source.

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