Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz said on Tuesday that the European Union would impose sanctions against Ankara if Turkey continued its seismic explorations in the Eastern Mediterranean
VIENNA (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 13th October, 2020) Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz said on Tuesday that the European Union would impose sanctions against Ankara if Turkey continued its seismic explorations in the Eastern Mediterranean.
"I fully condemn the new explorations by the ship #Oruc_Reis in Greek territorial waters and the opening of #Varosha in #Cyprus. Both steps clearly violate international law. If #Turkey continues to violate international law, it faces the threat of #EU sanctions. Also Turkey's membership negotiations with the #EU should be stopped," Kurz wrote on Twitter.
On Monday, the Turkish ship, Oruc Reis, departed for another 10-day seismic exploration mission in hotly disputed waters that Greece considers to be part of its continental shelf. Ankara announced the move in a Navtex advisory issued late on Sunday.
The Greek Foreign Ministry has slammed what it called Turkey's "illegal" Navtex advisory on its exploration near the island of Kastellorizo. Athens in particular criticized Ankara's decision to conduct new surveys just days after Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias met with his Turkish counterpart, Mevlut Cavusoglu, to discuss a potential pathway for easing regional tensions.
As for the reopening of the Varosha coastline area in the breakaway Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus � a no man's land separating the two disputing sides of the island � Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced the decision on October 6, despite the UN Security Council's resolutions that condemn resettlement attempts in the area. The move was criticized by Nicosia and Athens, as well as by many members of the international community, including Russia. The United Nations Security Council has called on Turkey to reverse the decision.
