EU Parliament Vice President stresses bloc decides on Turkey sanctions by year-end

The European Union parliament Vice President Dimitrios Papadimoulis said the bloc must agree on imposing sanctions on Turkey by the end of 2020 in order to prevent Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan from further putting the regional peace at harm. Papadimoulis said that it is "highly likely" Turkey will continue its aggressive behaviour in the Mediterranean if the EU doesn't impose sanctions during the upcoming EU Summit. Papadimoulis urged MEPs to definitively impose sanctions and not just talk about it in the corridors. 

Read: Turkey Initiates Criminal Case After EU Force Stops Vessel For Inspection In Mediterranean

This comes days after Turkey initiated a criminal complaint following one of its cargo vessels being stopped and searched by the European Union Mission Irini in the Mediterranean. Irini, which is tasked with enforcing the UN arms embargo on Libya by monitoring vessels in the Mediterranean, stopped and searched a Turkish cargo ship on Monday. Turkey's foreign ministry summoned ambassadors of Germany and Italy hours after the incident and called the search "unauthorised" and "illegal". Turkey said that the ship, which was on its way to Libya, was not carrying any sanctioned material. 

Read: Turkey Sentences Over 300 People To Life Imprisonment Over Failed Coup In 2016

Turkey-EU relations

Relations between Turkey and the European Union have not been at its best for the past several months over Ankara's "illegal" gas exploration expeditions in the Mediterranean Sea, especially in areas claimed by the EU-member state Greece. Turkey and the EU are also at loggerheads over the Cyprus island issue, which is currently being controlled by Ankara in the north and Athens in the south since the 1974 Turkish invasion. EU is also contemplating sanctions over Erdogan's recent visit to Turkish Cypriot island, a move which angered the bloc. 

Read: Pilots, Civilians Given Life Terms Over Turkey's 2016 Failed Coup Attempt

Turkey and the European Union are both members of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), which makes the row even more distressing for both sides. It remains to be seen how Ankara and Brussels would take their relationship forward, if the EU goes ahead with the planned sanctions during the forthcoming Summit on December 10-11. 

Read: German Defense Minister Karrenbauer Rejects Turkey Complaint Over Search

(Inputs: ANI, Image Credit: @papadimoulis/Twitter)