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European Union leaders approved a package of new punitive measures against Turkey due to its activities in the eastern Mediterranean, and Bloomberg reported that two sources described from within that US President Donald Trump signed a sanctions package against Turkey. .
According to the final statement, the new European punitive measures stipulate the imposition of sanctions on individuals and companies responsible for drilling and exploration operations in the eastern Mediterranean, in addition to a travel ban to the European Union and an assets freeze.
Before the summit, European Council President Charles Michel said that “European leaders will send a clear message to Turkey that they will continue to defend Europe’s values and interests.”
In a related context, the Bloomberg website cited two sources that it described as being knowledgeable that US President Donald Trump signed a sanctions package against Turkey.
The website stated that the sanctions were due to Ankara’s purchase of the Russian S-400 air defense system last year.
While the Bloomberg website indicated that the nature of the sanctions recommended by Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has not been disclosed, Reuters reported, citing US sources, that the sanctions target Turkey’s Defense Industries Administration in addition to its president, Ismail Demir.
Reuters quoted US officials as saying that the sanctions, which are likely to enrage Ankara, could seriously complicate its relations with the next US administration led by President-elect Joe Biden.
The agency also quoted a senior Turkish official (did not name him) as saying that “the US sanctions on Turkey for the purchase of the S-400 system will be counterproductive and will damage relations between the two countries, which are members of NATO” .
He added that Turkey supports the solution of these problems through diplomacy and negotiations, and will not accept unilateral sanctions.
Wrong policy
There has not yet been a Turkish response to the sanctions, but the spokesman for the Turkish presidency Ibrahim said before The language of threatening sanctions will not work with Turkey.
During his participation in a seminar at a German study center via the Internet, Kalin reiterated his country’s willingness to engage in discussions with everyone on this matter without preconditions.
He criticized the positions of some European countries that require Turkey to accept the conditions of Cyprus, highlighting that Ankara seeks the unity of the island while Greece and the Greek Cypriots reject it.
In response to a question about Turkey’s purchase of the Russian S-400 system, Kalin emphasized that Turkey has repeatedly expressed its desire to buy the American Patriot system, but Washington has refrained from supplying it to Ankara.
He noted that the Turkish president had repeatedly stated that Turkey would seek alternatives in case Washington insisted on not selling this system, but the United States did not take these statements seriously.
The President of the Turkish Parliament, Mustafa Shantoub, also expressed his hope that the European Union will not make decisions that deepen the crisis with his country. This came during a speech in the Turkish Parliament on the situation in the eastern Mediterranean.
He explained that international organizations have deliberately intensified the tension in the eastern Mediterranean, after Turkey began search and exploration operations in that region and concluded a maritime agreement with Libya.
In turn, NATO Secretary General Jans Stoltenberg called for strengthening the dispute resolution mechanism between Turkey and Greece to avoid incidents between two NATO member countries.
Stoltenberg said that “technical and military discussions can pave the way for basic political negotiations between Turkey and Greece.”
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