Arms embargo

The US lifted its arms embargo on Cyprus in September but the US decision has rankled Turkey which is at odds with NATO ally Greece over the island

With Ankara's stance seen as nothing but an effort to buy time with no real intention for a candid dialogue, Athens is expected to insist on a hard line in favor of sanctions during the upcoming European Council on December 10 and 11.

According to Athens, Ankara's behavior over the previous five days in particular leaves no room for optimism.

Ankara will take necessary steps in every field against the EU's Operation Irini over the illegal search of a Turkish-flagged vessel bound for Libya, Turkey's National Security Council said on Nov. 25. 

The envoys of the European Union, Italy and Germany in the Turkish capital Ankara were summoned to the country's Foreign Ministry on Nov. 23 in the wake of a controversial search of a Turkish-flagged ship by an EU naval mission a day earlier.

The United Nations Security Council overwhelmingly rejected a U.S. resolution to extend an Iranian arms embargo on Aug. 14, in a move with huge repercussions for the Iran nuclear deal.

Only two of the Council's 15 members voted in favor, highlighting the division between Washington and its European allies since President Donald Trump withdrew from the nuclear accord in May 2018.

EU foreign policy head Josep Borrell on Tuesday called for the strengthening of Operation Irini, the bloc's naval mission in the Mediterranean Sea aimed at enforcing the UN arms embargo on Libya.
"Operation Irini has hailed ships, since it was launched, on more than 130 occasions," Borrell said after a videoconference of EU defense ministers.

Gene Rossides, a historic figure in the Greek-American community and the main force behind the US arms embargo against Turkey after the invasion of Cyprus, died at the age of 92. His daughter confirmed his passing on Saturday at his home in Washington.

The European Union announced Tuesday the launch of a new naval mission in the Mediterranean Sea aimed at enforcing the UN arms embargo on Libya, after Italy blocked a previous operation claiming that the warships attracted migrants to Europe's shores.

Greece welcomed a decision by European Union foreign ministers on Monday to launch a new maritime effort focused on enforcing the UN arms embargo around Libya.
Speaking in Brussels where the meeting of EU foreign ministers took place, Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias reiterated Greece's commitment to take part in the operation.

By George Gilson

If the geopolitical volatility in the Balkans before WWI led to its description as the powder keg or tinder box of Europe, today the same many be said of the Southeastern Mediterranean but on a more expansive geographic scale, drawing in the US.