EU Escalates Warnings to Turkey, Prolongs Russian Sanctions
EU Leaders Warn Turkey Over Drilling, Prolong Russian Sanctions
(Bloomberg) -- European Union leaders escalated a threat to sanction Turkey over its offshore drilling in Eastern Mediterranean, while prolonging punitive measures against Russia for encroaching on Ukrainian territory.
The EU will “closely monitor developments and stands ready to respond appropriately and in full solidarity with Cyprus,” leaders said in a joint communique on Thursday, while vowing to consider “targeted measures” - a decision that could pave the way for sanctions against companies and individuals involved in drilling activities in an area claimed by Cyprus.
Earlier this week, EU ministers invited the bloc’s executive and foreign policy arms “to submit options for appropriate measures without delay,” a wording that signaled the prospect of further cuts to pre-accession aid to Turkey and downgrading contacts between the two sides. Actual enforcement of any punitive measures would require unanimous decision by all EU members, following specific proposals.
Turkey and Cyprus are at loggerheads over offshore gas reserves in the eastern Mediterranean, as Ankara disputes Nicosia’s claims that the area is its exclusive economic zone. Turkey has sent exploration vessels into the area, with Cyprus protesting the move as a violation of its sovereignty and threatening to issue arrest warrants against those involved.
On Thursday, the Turkish government defied the bloc’s threats of retaliation, sending a second energy exploration vessel to contested waters off Cyprus. The 230-meter (755-foot) Yavuz, which is able to drill 12,200 meters deep, will begin operations in early July, Melih Han Bilgin, the chief executive of state-run oil and gas producer, Turkiye Petrolleri AO, said at a ceremony in western Turkey.
Russian Sanctions
At their meeting on Thursday, leaders repeated calls to Russia to release Ukrainian sailors it has captured, and ensure free passage of all ships through the Kerch Straits. They also accused Russia of breaking the Minsk agreements on the resolution of the Ukrainian crisis by issuing passports in areas of Ukraine’s Donetsk and Luhansk regions.
Leaders also renewed a package of penalties on Russia’s financial, energy and defense industries for six months. The sanctions have been rolled over regularly for half a year since they were introduced in 2014.
To contact the reporters on this story: Nikos Chrysoloras in Brussels at nchrysoloras@bloomberg.net;Viktoria Dendrinou in Brussels at vdendrinou@bloomberg.net
To contact the editors responsible for this story: Chad Thomas at cthomas16@bloomberg.net, Richard Bravo, Zoe Schneeweiss
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