GEAB 150

Sanctions have been decided! Well, almost… Indeed, the Heads of State and Government of the 27 EU Member States decided, at the European Council meeting that has just taken place on 10-11 December on new sanctions against Turkey for its “drilling” activities in the Eastern Mediterranean that have been deemed illegal. Sanctions will be specified in the coming days and weeks. But priority is to be given to dialogue and, in anticipation of the Biden presidency, to a multilateral, transatlantic solution[1] supported by the protagonists themselves to the tensions in the EASTMED (Eastern Mediterranean).[2]

That said, even though Turkey wisely brought its seismic exploration vessel Oruç Reis[3] back to harbour before the European Council meeting, the crisis in the waters of the Eastern Mediterranean between Turkey and Greece is deepening. Both sides are being accused of belligerent behaviour and of playing to escalate the conflict. New parties are dipping a toe in the water, and not only those directly concerned by the crisis; the waves they make are likely to break along their coasts. There’s Syria, Lebanon, Palestine, Israel, Egypt, Libya… but also the US, Russia, UK and France.