Economic sanctions

The European Union has imposed additional sanctions in Syria against eight people and two companies, the European Council announced on Monday.

The Council noted that eight "prominent" Syrian businessmen were added to the sanctions list as their "activities directly benefited the Assad regime, including through projects on land alienated by people displaced by the conflict ".

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.

Greece did not officially take a position on the results of Sunday's Berlin conference on Libya, but 'government sources' talking to media off-the-record emphasized the positives.

Turkish parliament speaker on Dec. 22 said his country was not obliged to the U.S. or any other country due to the global politics evolving from a two-polar to a multi-polar one that offers many alternatives.

Turkey has warned that US moves to lift a decades-old arms embargo on Cyprus would undermine efforts to reunite the Mediterranean island and create a "dangerous escalation."
The US Congress voted Tuesday to end the embargo on the island, which was imposed in 1987 with the aim of preventing an arms buildup that would obstruct diplomatic efforts at a peace settlement.

EU foreign ministers agreed on economic sanctions over Turkish drilling operations near Cyprus, Reuters reported. However, the indication of specific names is left to a later stage.

Italian Foreign Minister Luigi Di Maio confirmed on Tuesday that Rome will ban arms export to Turkey, after Ankara launched a military attack against Kurdish fighters in the northern part of Syria.
"The solution to the Syria crisis must be diplomatic not military," he told parliament.

Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias on Monday welcomed a decision by European Union governments to restrict arms exports to Turkey over its invasion of Syria (although stopping short of an embargo) and to draw up economic sanctions on Ankara over its illegal drilling inside Cyprus' exclusive economic zone.

The European Union member states united on Oct. 14 to condemn Turkey's offensive in Syria but stopped short of imposing an arms embargo, while opening the way to sanctions over Ankara's controversial drilling off Cyprus.

EU foreign ministers meeting in Luxembourg on Monday are expected to deplore the Turkish offensive in Syria and vow to coordinate on imposing an arms embargo, Bloomberg has reported, though a decision is on Turkey is not expected until later this week.