BRUSSELS: The EU on Thursday stepped up its rhetoric over Turkey’s “illegal” drilling for oil and gas off Cyprus, raising the threat of sanctions if Ankara refuses to back down.
The discovery of huge gas reserves in the eastern Mediterranean has fueled a race to tap underwater resources and triggered a dispute between Turkey and EU member Cyprus, which also plans to ramp up its exploratory activities in the area.
As Turkey sent a new ship to search for hydrocarbons off the coast of EU member Cyprus, the bloc repeated its condemnation of Ankara’s “illegal drilling activities.”
The 28 EU leaders meeting at a summit in Brussels said they “deplored that Turkey has not yet responded to the EU’s repeated calls to cease such activities.”
Earlier this week EU states tasked the European Commission, the bloc’s executive, with preparing “appropriate measures” to hit back at Turkey. On Thursday they went further, brandishing the threat of sanctions against individuals and companies involved in the drilling.
“The European Council endorses the invitation to the Commission and the EEAS (the EU’s foreign service) to submit options for appropriate measures without delay, including targeted measures,” the leaders said.
“The EU will continue to closely monitor developments and stands ready to respond appropriately and in full solidarity with Cyprus.”
European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker warned Ankara it could expect tough action.
“What Turkey is doing in the territorial waters of Cyprus is totally unacceptable,” Juncker told reporters after the summit.
“The commission has been charged to propose measures to be taken as soon as possible when it comes to this conflict and we’ll do so, and these will not be soft measures.”
Ankara says its actions abide by international law and that it is drilling inside its continental shelf.
EU threatens sanctions over Turkey’s Cyprus drilling
EU threatens sanctions over Turkey’s Cyprus drilling
- Turkey sent a new ship to search for hydrocarbons off the coast of EU member Cyprus
- The bloc repeated its condemnation of Ankara’s ‘illegal drilling activities’
US resumes food aid to Somalia
- The United States on Thursday announced the resumption of food distribution in Somalia, weeks after the destruction of a US-funded World Food Programme (WFP) warehouse at Mogadishu’s port
NAIROBI: The United States on Thursday announced the resumption of food distribution in Somalia, weeks after the destruction of a US-funded World Food Programme (WFP) warehouse at Mogadishu’s port.
In early January, Washington suspended aid to Somalia over reports of theft and government interference, saying Somali officials had “illegally seized 76 metric tons of donor-funded food aid meant for vulnerable Somalis.”
US officials then warned any future aid would depend on the Somali government taking accountability, a stance Mogadishu countered by saying the warehouse demolition was part of the port’s “expansion and repurposing works.”
On Wednesday, however, the Somali government said “all WFP commodities affected by port expansion have been returned.”
In a statement Somalia said it “takes full responsibility” and has “provided the World Food Program with a larger and more suitable warehouse within the Mogadishu port area.”
The US State Department said in a post on X that: “We will resume WFP food distribution while continuing to review our broader assistance posture in Somalia.”
“The Trump Administration maintains a firm zero tolerance policy for waste, theft, or diversion of US resources,” it said.
US president Donald Trump has slashed aid over the past year globally.
Somalis in the United States have also become a particular target for the administration in recent weeks, targeted in immigration raids.
They have also been accused of large-scale public benefit fraud in Minnesota, which has the largest Somali community in the country with around 80,000 members.
