BRUSSELS: EU leaders meeting in Brussels Thursday will denounce Turkey's "illegal actions" toward Greece and Cyprus in the east Mediterranean and Aegean seas, draft summit conclusions said.
The denunciation by the 28 European Union member states comes after Turkey's arrest of two Greek soldiers and its promise to prevent Greek Cypriots from exploring for oil.
It risks further straining ties before an EU-Turkey summit in the Bulgarian resort of Varna on March 26, aimed at improving relations damaged by Turkey's crackdown over a failed coup in 2016.
"The European Council strongly condemns Turkey's continued illegal actions in the Eastern Mediterranean and the Aegean Sea and underlines its full solidarity with Cyprus and Greece," it said.
The draft also "calls on Turkey to cease these actions and respect the sovereign rights of Cyprus to explore and exploit its natural resources in accordance with EU and international law."
The leaders expressed "grave concern over the continued detention of EU citizens in Turkey" and called for these issues to be resolved through dialogue with the EU member states.
Two Greek soldiers were arrested on March 2 for entering a military zone in the northern Turkish province of Edirne and are waiting for their case to be heard.
The denunciation shows strong support for Greece and Cyprus, which are among the EU countries most reluctant to support a strong bloc condemnation of a nerve agent attack on a former Russian agent on English soil.
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EU leaders ‘strongly condemn’ Turkey actions in Mediterranean
EU leaders ‘strongly condemn’ Turkey actions in Mediterranean
Rescue efforts underway after landslides hit New Zealand campground and house
- Emergency services were called to the slide at the base of Mount Maunganui on New Zealand’s North Island after 9:30 a.m.
- Another landslide hit a house in the nearby Welcome Bay community at 4:50 a.m, a police statement said
MELBOURNE: Landslides hit a campground and a house in New Zealand and emergency crews were trying to rescue people buried in rubble, officials said Thursday.
Emergency services were called to the slide at the base of Mount Maunganui on New Zealand’s North Island after 9:30 a.m. The rubble hit Beachside Holiday Park in a town named after the extinct volcano. Images showed vehicles, travel trailers and a bathroom block crushed by debris.
Police Superintendent Tim Anderson said the number of people missing was in the “single figures” but didn’t say further how many were affected.
Another landslide hit a house in the nearby Welcome Bay community at 4:50 a.m, a police statement said. Two people escaped the house but two others were missing, Anderson said. A rescue operation was underway there.
Further north near Warkworth, a man remained missing after floodwaters swept him from a road Wednesday morning as heavy rain lashed large swathes of the North Island, a police statement said.
New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon urged residents in affected areas to heed local authorities’ safety advice during the extreme conditions.
“Extreme weather continues to cause dangerous conditions across the North Island. Right now, the government is doing everything we can to support those impacted,” Luxon posted on social media.
At Mount Maunganui, no survivor had been recovered, Fire and Emergency NZ commander William Pike said.
“Members of the public ... tried to get into the rubble and did hear some voices,” Pike told reporters. “Our initial fire crew arrived and … were able to hear the same. Shortly after our initial crew arrived, we withdrew everyone from the site due to possible movement and slip.”
No sign of life had been detected since, Pike said.
Emergency Management Minister Mark Mitchell said emergency crews were continuing a rescue operation at Mount Maunganui.
Mayor Mahe Drysdale said those unaccounted earlier had included people who had left the campground without notifying authorities. The campground was closed after the disaster.
Australian tourist Sonny Worrall said he was lazing in a hot pool within the campground when he heard then saw the landslide.
“I looked behind me and there’s a huge landslide coming down. And I’m still shaking from it now,” Worrall told New Zealand’s 1News news service. “I turned around and I had to jump out from my seat as fast as I could and just run.”
He looked back to see the rubble carrying a travel trailer behind him.
“It was like the scariest thing I’ve ever experienced in my life,” Worrall said.
Emergency services were called to the slide at the base of Mount Maunganui on New Zealand’s North Island after 9:30 a.m. The rubble hit Beachside Holiday Park in a town named after the extinct volcano. Images showed vehicles, travel trailers and a bathroom block crushed by debris.
Police Superintendent Tim Anderson said the number of people missing was in the “single figures” but didn’t say further how many were affected.
Another landslide hit a house in the nearby Welcome Bay community at 4:50 a.m, a police statement said. Two people escaped the house but two others were missing, Anderson said. A rescue operation was underway there.
Further north near Warkworth, a man remained missing after floodwaters swept him from a road Wednesday morning as heavy rain lashed large swathes of the North Island, a police statement said.
New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon urged residents in affected areas to heed local authorities’ safety advice during the extreme conditions.
“Extreme weather continues to cause dangerous conditions across the North Island. Right now, the government is doing everything we can to support those impacted,” Luxon posted on social media.
At Mount Maunganui, no survivor had been recovered, Fire and Emergency NZ commander William Pike said.
“Members of the public ... tried to get into the rubble and did hear some voices,” Pike told reporters. “Our initial fire crew arrived and … were able to hear the same. Shortly after our initial crew arrived, we withdrew everyone from the site due to possible movement and slip.”
No sign of life had been detected since, Pike said.
Emergency Management Minister Mark Mitchell said emergency crews were continuing a rescue operation at Mount Maunganui.
Mayor Mahe Drysdale said those unaccounted earlier had included people who had left the campground without notifying authorities. The campground was closed after the disaster.
Australian tourist Sonny Worrall said he was lazing in a hot pool within the campground when he heard then saw the landslide.
“I looked behind me and there’s a huge landslide coming down. And I’m still shaking from it now,” Worrall told New Zealand’s 1News news service. “I turned around and I had to jump out from my seat as fast as I could and just run.”
He looked back to see the rubble carrying a travel trailer behind him.
“It was like the scariest thing I’ve ever experienced in my life,” Worrall said.
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