EU, US Impose More Sanctions Against Turkey

European Union leaders decided, Friday, during their meeting in Brussels, imposing more sanctions on Turkey's unilateral actions and provocations, in response to Ankara's prospecting for gas in Greek and Cypriot waters.

"The council adopted sanctions in the face of Turkey's unilateral actions and provocations," French minister for European affairs Clement Beaune said in a tweet, citing the conclusions agreed by the bloc's 27 leaders.

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"The chosen measures will be sanctions on inpiduals, and supplementary measures could be decided if Turkey pursues its actions," a diplomat told AFP.

The leaders mandated chief EU diplomat Josep Borrell to prepare a report on more measures that could be taken to "expand the scope" of the action, asserting that it shall be submitted to them at or before their summit in March next year.

"Turkey has engaged in unilateral actions and provocations and escalated its rhetoric against the EU, Member States and its leaders," the leaders stated.

"Turkish unilateral and provocative activities in the Eastern Mediterranean are still taking place, including in Cyprus's exclusive economic zone."

On his part, Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said: the "credibility of the European Union" was at stake as he arrived at the summit.

Mitsotakis noted that the leaders had already agreed in October that something must be done about Turkey's increasingly assertive actions in his region.

"This is the moment to show whether we, as Europe, really are credible in what we have agreed," he said.

Speaking just ahead of the summit, NATO secretary-general Jens Stoltenberg tried to soothe tempers, claiming that Turkey was hosting around four million refugees, which is more than any other NATO ally, asserting that the country had suffered from terrorist attacks

"There are differences, there are disagreements, we need to address them," Stoltenberg mentioned.

"At the same time, we need to make sure that we realize the importance of Turkey as part of NATO and also as part of the Western family."

On the other hand, the summit has extended economic sanctions, in the banking, financial and energy sectors, against Russia for another six months.

Spokesman for the President of the Council Barend Leyts said on Twitter: "At #EUCO  agreement on conclusions EU-US relations and the roll-over of the sanctions against Russia."

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Not just EU, but Washington also imposed sanctions on Russian inpiduals and entities linked to Chechnya’s head Ramzan Kadyrov, for their alleged involvement in human rights violations, which was criticized by Russian Ambassador to Washington Anatoly Antonov.

"The actions of the US administration are just another unfriendly and detrimental move against Russia which will deepen the crisis in bilateral relations,” Antonov stated on his Facebook page.