Turkey

Anastasiades said that he discussed with Mitsotakis ways to confront Turkish provocations in Cyprus’ EEZ.

Washington has also threatened to impose sanctions on Turkey, though Ankara has dismissed the warnings.

The EIB, which is Turkey’s biggest single lender, has spent between 0.4 billion euros ($446 million) and 2.2 billion euros ($2.45 billion) a year in the country over the last three years, while nothing has been invested so far in 2019.

Washington’s concern is that deploying the S-400 with the F-35 would allow Russia to gain too much inside information of the stealth system.

Washington’s concern is that deploying the S-400 with the F-35 would allow Russia to gain too much inside information of the stealth system.

Cyprus has rejected Turkish-Cypriot leader’ Mustafa Akinci’s proposal for the two communities to co-manage the island's gas and oil deposits prior to a Cyprus settlement.

After the failed 2016 coup against him, Erdogan’s decisions have completely undermined Turkey’s EU course.

EU foreign ministers noted Turkey’s illegal drilling in Cyprus’ EEZ and suspended talks on the EU-Turkey air transport agreement and other high-level EU-Turkey dialogues.

As the bloc needs Turkey in matters such as security and migration, an EU diplomat involved in the latest discussions told Reuters any future sanctions would be limited.

The ministry’s condemnation came just one day after Mitsotakis discussed the regional situation for 20 minutes with US Vice President Mike Pence and following a stern State Department statement criticising Ankara.

The European Council on 20 June had called on the European Commission to come up with a list of possible sanctions against Turkey over its violations of Cyprus’ sovereignty and issued the sternest warning to Ankara yet

The incoming government must undertake specific initiatives to forge a national consensus and to shape a long-term strategy to defend Greece’s national sovereignty and broader sovereign rights under international law.

'The critical preparations regarding the exploitation of our energy wealth and exercising our sovereign rights have not been viewed in a happenstance manner. They [Athens’ actions] are the result of years of foreign policy planning

The summit conclusions reaffirmed the decision of the 22 March, 2018, EU summit’s statement “strongly condemning Turkey's continued illegal actions in the Eastern Mediterranean and the Aegean Sea.”

In an exceptionally sweet deal, Greece paid only the $44mn for the helicopters that had been withdrawn by the US military. The actual value is estimated at $589mn.

Erdogan said Turkey had offered to set up groups with the United States to work together on the issue, without saying what Washington’s response had been.

Defence Minister Hulusi Akar said Turkey was fulfilling its responsibilities in the F-35 project and expected the program to continue as planned. He said buying the S-400s was only meant to meet Turkey’s defense needs and posed no threats.

There is very little the EU, which lacks a Union army, can do in the situation except perhaps for imposing some kind of economic sanctions.

Russia has so far kept a stance of equal distances between Ankara and Nicosia.

According to a report in the Turkish daily Milliyet entitled “They are coming in July! 600-metre wall”, despite the American and Nato threats the procurement of the Russian missile system will act as a deterrent in the Aegean