EU Leaders Meet to Tackle Turkey 'Provocations' in East Med

European Union (EU) leaders are set to meet in Brussels on Thursday, and Friday for talks focused on Turkey's provocations in Eastern Mediterranean.

Earlier, EU spokesman for foreign policy and security, Peter Stano stated that European leaders had agreed to monitor Turkey's behavior during the coming period, with decisions being taken later.

Moreover, Stano added that the EU is in solidarity with Cyprus and Greece, stressing that there is a complete unity among the 27 member states towards this file.

Ankara’s redeployment of the Oruc Reis survey vessel for new energy exploration around Kastellorizo has reignited tensions over sea boundaries between Greek islands, Cyprus and Turkey’s southern coast.

Ankara says it redeployed the ship because Greece chose to hold military drills in the Aegean Sea on a Turkish national holiday.

On his part, Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said Tuesday that Athens wouldn’t engage in exploratory talks with Ankara for as long as the survey vessel remained active in the region.

It is worth mentioning that, in their last summit, EU leaders reached a deal over how to tackle Turkey, agreeing to tacitly warn Ankara of sanctions if it fails to resolve long-standing disputes with Greece and Cyprus, including over energy drilling in the Mediterranean.

Tensions escalated dangerously in recent months between Greece and Turkey, longtime rivals in the Mediterranean, and between Cyprus and Turkey, which have clashed bitterly over the pided island since a Turkish invasion in 1974.

Greece and Cyprus have also accused Turkey of violating their sovereignty by drilling or exploring for gas in parts of the eastern Mediterranean that the two EU countries each claim as their own territorial waters.