EU: We’ll support any initiative to settle the dispute in the Gulf coming from within the region and approaching the imposition of sanctions on Turkey to explore for gas in Cypriot waters

The European Union’s High Commissioner for Foreign and Security Policy, Federica Mogherini, has announced that the EU is ready to support any initiative to resolve the dispute in the Gulf region that comes from within the region.

“What we discussed today is the need for the EU to support any initiative that will come from the region”, Mogherini told a news conference on Monday, following a meeting of the Council on Foreign Affairs in Brussels.

In that connection, she pointed out that Kuwait was a “credible, reputable and role-playing country” and had discussed the issue several times in Kuwait.

“Other countries in the Gulf region (other than Kuwait) have put forward ideas about regional conferences or opening channels (for dialogue)”, she said.

“We believe that the EU should not put forward initiatives, but should offer support to any initiative launched from within the region.

It aims to ease tensions and find ways of peaceful coexistence in the region”.

The European Union approached on Monday a further step towards imposing sanctions on those involved in Turkish oil and gas exploration in the territorial waters of Cyprus, through the adoption of a formal legal framework for the imposition of such sanctions.

The discovery of huge gas reserves in the eastern Mediterranean has sparked a dispute between Cyprus and Turkey, which has sent three oil and gas exploration ships in the region.

The EU has repeatedly called on Turkey to halt exploration activities in what Cyprus regards as its territorial waters, to no avail, prompting EU foreign ministers last month to ask Brussels officials to formulate a framework for sanctions.

On Monday, European foreign ministers agreed in Brussels on the framework for a travel ban and asset freeze on individuals and companies involved in the exploration.

The Council of the European Union, comprising the 28 Member States, said that sanctions may target “persons or entities responsible for prospecting activities”, “persons or entities providing financial, technical or material support” or “associated persons”.

The next stage is to add the names of individuals or entities to the list, but this process may take a long time as legal audits must be conducted to ensure that the list is resilient in the event of an appeal to the courts.

EU diplomats have yet to provide a timeframe for the start of the first lists.

Cyprus is divided between the Republic of Cyprus and the unrecognized “Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus”, which was declared in the north after the Turkish invasion in 1974 in response to a coup by Greek Cypriot nationalists aimed at annexing the island to Greece.

Ankara considers that the gas resources must be distributed fairly between the Greek Cypriots and the Turkish Cypriots, which Nicosia strongly rejects.