Facing EU sanctions threat, Erdogan calls for dialogue once more
Ahead of a European Council summit in which EU leaders will discuss sanctions on Ankara this week over energy prospecting activities in the eastern Mediterranean, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan reiterated calls for dialogue, urging bloc members not be swayed by Greek and Cypriot agendas.
ISTANBUL — As EU leaders prepare to weigh possible sanctions on Turkey in a European Council summit this week, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan Monday urged EU officials not be swayed by some member states’ efforts to punish Ankara over ongoing energy and territorial disputes in the eastern Mediterranean Sea.
Reiterating calls for dialogue, Erdogan warned EU leaders to avoid the “strategic blindness” of the Greek and Greek Cypriot lobbies, which are calling for an arms embargo and financial sanctions on Turkey, among other punitive measures, for its energy prospecting activities in contested waters bordering the three nations.
"Turkey will not accept plans and maps that aim to confine country to its coasts off Antalya," Erdogan said in a pre-recorded video message Monday, adding, “We have expressed to our interlocutors that we will not bow to threats and blackmail and that we will not allow imperialist expansionism.”
The statements come ahead of a Dec. 10-11 summit that will follow up on a framework set forth during an Oct. 1 council meeting calling on Turkey to cease surveying activities in the eastern Mediterranean and reduce regional tensions or face possible sanctions.
