EU agrees measures against Turkey for Cyprus drilling
The European Union on Monday agreed measures to punish Turkey for pursuing drilling operations off Cyprus despite repeated warnings, AFP reported.
According to the news agency, the EU will halt high-level dialogue with Turkey, suspend talks over an aviation agreement and cut 145.8 million euros ($164 million) in pre-accession financial funds allocated for 2020.
Foreign ministers from the bloc also told the European Commission, the bloc's executive, to keep working on possible financial sanctions targeting those involved in the drilling operations.
And the European Investment Bank has been asked to revisit the conditions set out for providing financial support to Ankara.
The EU last month warned Turkey it could face sanctions if it did not cease what the bloc called "illegal" drilling in Cyprus's exclusive economic zone. Last week, diplomats began discussing what measures to impose.
It was the discovery of huge gas reserves in the eastern Mediterranean that sparked the dispute between EU member Cyprus and Turkey. Ankara sent two ships to carry out drilling off the Cypriot coast despite the warnings from the EU.