Borell said that they had been discussing the new Turkish drilling activities in the eastern Mediterranean where we received an update by Cypriot Foreign Minister and added: " We agreed to ask the relevant Council Working Party, RELEX (Working Party of Foreign Relations Counsellors), to take forward and finalize the work on listings of persons and entities involved in these illegal activities in order to implement the decisions taken on sanctions."

In November 2019, European Union foreign ministers have approved a mechanism to sanction entities involved in unauthorized oil drilling in Cypriot waters. The sanctions would involve travel bans and asset freezes on people, companies and organizations. EU citizens and firms will not be allowed to provide any funds or technical support to Turkey for the drilling operations.

Turkey claims that it is a guarantor state in Cyprus and its rights over natural resources are disregarded and its activities are legal as the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) is officially recognized by other countries. (ILKHA)