Such measures have been taken because of illegal activities in the Mediterranean Sea in Ankara.
The European Union has renewed sanctions against Turkey for a year because of its illegal activities in the Mediterranean Sea and is threatening to impose new restrictive measures against Ankara. This was announced in a statement issued by the EU Council in Brussels on Friday.
“The Council has today decided to extend by one year, until 12 November 2021, the existing restrictive measures regime in response to Turkey’s unauthorised drilling activities in the Eastern Mediterranean”, – it said. – “The European Union will therefore retain its ability to impose targeted restrictive measures against persons or organisations responsible for or involved in unauthorised drilling activities in the Eastern Mediterranean”.
The Council recalls that there are currently two people on the blacklist for Turkey. They are banned from travelling to EU countries and their assets have been frozen. In addition, EU individuals and entities are prohibited from providing funds to those on the list.
The EU imposed sanctions on Turkey in July 2019 for drilling in the Cyprus Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ). In addition, the EU imposed financial restrictions on Ankara by reducing aid to Turkey for 2020 (subsidies provided during the EU accession negotiations process) and invited the European Investment Bank to review its lending activities in the country, in particular with regard to lending against sovereign security.
Large natural gas deposits have been found offshore and in the Cyprus EEZ. In 2011, Noble Energy, a US company, discovered, among other things, the Aphrodite field with estimated reserves of approximately 140 billion cubic metres.