An agreement was reached after many hours of negotiations at the Summit on the conclusions regarding the European Union’s response to Turkey’s delinquent behaviour.

According to the statement, the European Council blames Ankara for its illegal and unilateral actions, as well as its rhetoric against specific Member States, while calling on the EU Council to adopt more possible sanctions against Ankara based on its decisions. The European Council on 1 and 2 October and calls on the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Defense Policy to submit a report on EU-Turkey political, economic and trade relations for consideration at the European Council of March 2021 at the latest.

“Europe takes one step at a time. That is what he did in this Council. It is another step that is a strong warning to Turkey to change its behavior,” government sources said, commenting on the leaders’ agreement at the EU summit on the text of the conclusions on Turkey and the situation in the Eastern Mediterranean.

According to the same sources, “the European Council decided to impose sanctions on Turkey, expanding the list of persons and entities involved in illegal drilling in the Eastern Mediterranean.”

“The measures decided will be sanctions against individuals, and there may be additional measures if Turkey continues its actions,” a European diplomat told AFP.