September 11 (SeeNews) - Leaders of seven EU Mediterranean states said that the EU will draw up a list of sanctions against Turkey later this month if Ankara does not cease its "unilateral and illegal activities" in the eastern Mediterranean and resume dialogue with Greece and Cyprus.
The EU is ready to develop a list of restrictive measures that could be discussed at the European Council meeting on September 24-25 if no progress is made, the heads of state and government of Cyprus, Spain, France, Greece, Italy, Malta and Portugal said in a joint statement after their meeting held on the French island of Corsica on Thursday.
Tensions between the EU and NATO member Turkey have heightened after Ankara sent a ship to conduct a seismic survey in search for natural gas in territorial waters claimed by Greece and areas claimed by Cyprus.
In the declaration, the leaders of the seven countries from the EU Med group reiterated solidarity with Cyprus and Greece, calling on Turkey to stop its "confrontational actions" and "repeated attacks on their sovereignty and sovereign rights".
Ahead of the summit, French president Emmanuel Macron urged the EU to unite in its position toward Ankara, calling the behaviour of Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan unacceptable, France TV Info reported.
In response, Turkey's ministry of foreign affairs issued a statement called Macron a colonialist and blaming him for encouraging tension and putting the great interests of Europe and the EU at risk.