Cypriot authorities did not vote for the introduction of the EU sanctions against a number of Russian officials in Crimea, Reuters reports citing data from three diplomatic sources in the EU.
At the same time, the republic is counting on the adoption of tougher measures against Turkey due to drilling operations in order to extract oil and gas in the territorial waters of Cyprus. So, the EU has already prepared measures to ban the entry and freezing of the assets of a number of Turkish citizens, but their adoption has been postponed.
“The Cypriots are waiting for the imposition of sanctions against Turkey due to drilling operations and are disappointed that it takes some time. Therefore, they intervene (block, – ed.) in the sanctions list for Crimea”, – a source quoted Reuters.
According to the agency, to impose sanctions on Russian citizens, unanimous support of all 28 members of the European Union is needed.
On December 19, the EU Council documented the extension of economic sanctions against Russia for six months – until July 31, 2020. We are talking about restrictions on the financial, energy and defense sectors, as well as the sphere of dual-use goods. The validity of the sanctions was linked by the European Council in March 2015 to the “full implementation of the Minsk agreements”.