EU preparing for longer-term sanctions against Turkey - European Council VP

The European Union is preparing for not only short term, but also medium and long-term sanctions against Turkey during an upcoming bloc summit, European Council Vice President Margaritis Schinas said on Saturday.

Ankara has taken many wrong steps, which will come at a cost, BBC Turkish cited Schinas as telling Greece’s Skai TV.

Schinas’ remarks arrive days before European leaders meet for an EU Council summit on December 11 to discuss several issues, including the tension in the Eastern Mediterranean and possible sanctions against Turkey over Ankara’s pursuit of natural gas exploration in contested waters in the region.

“Turkey did everything wrong,” the European Council official said. “It did everything it could to confront not just Europe, but everyone. And there is a cost for this.” 

Schinas said the bloc would be laying sanctions against Ankara on the table during the summit next week, noting they would be “not only short term, but medium and long term as well,” while Turkey’s relations with the EU and the United States would be re-evaluated.

Turkey, Greece and Cyprus are embroiled in a political standoff over territorial claims and potential hydrocarbon resources.

EU countries including Greece, Cyprus and France have called for punitive measures in response to Turkey’s maritime activities in the eastern Mediterranean, but Ankara maintains it has the right to search for oil and gas off its shoreline as its continental shelf extends further than the current internationally recognised limits.