EU shares threat of sanctions on Turkey at summit in Brussels: “We will use all options”
Leaders of EU countries met in Brussels yesterday to discuss a busy agenda. The main agenda items of the summit were the political crisis in Belarus, eastern Mediterranean tensions and the events in Nagorno-Karabakh, while the leaders held the meeting until late at night on the first day of the two-day summit.
From the first day of the summit, threatening statements about Turkey have drawn attention. EU officials have warned that Turkey could face sanctions if its actions in the Eastern Mediterranean continued.
As the meeting ended, Charles Michel, president of the Council of the European Union, and Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, faced the cameras. The two made important statements to the press about Turkey.
We expect Turkey to quit unilateral actions
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, who first mentioned that sanctions options were on the table, said: “We want to establish a positive and constructive relationship with Turkey. We believe that this is also in Ankara’s interest. Only when provocations and pressures stop can this happen. Therefore, we expect Turkey to abandon unilateral actions. If these movements are repeated by Ankara, the EU will use all available tools and options.”
Speaking after Ursula von der Leyen, European Council President Charles Michel said the two weeks after the summit were critical for Turkey.
He emphasized that the topic of TTurkey would come to the agenda at the summit in December and went on to say, “We have 2 strategies. We want to give political dialogue a chance. On the other hand, we expressed our values and our commitment to support Greece and Cyprus. If Turkey wants to enter a more positive agenda with us, we are ready to have a more positive agenda with Turkey.”
