The foreign ministers of the European Union countries could not agree on a list of sanctions on Belarus because of the position of Cyprus. He blocked the decision, insisting on the parallel introduction of such measures in respect of Turkey, which illegally conducts exploration in the Cyprus economic zone of the Mediterranean Sea.

“I stated clearly… to my Cypriot colleagues, saying: “So, you should unblock the Belarusian sanctions, because I think you’re not doing yourself a favor by creating this relationship,” French State Secretary for European Affairs at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Clement Bon, told Politico.

Now European leaders will return to the issue of sanctions in late September.

Turkish drilling ship Yavuz has been conducting research in the Cyprus EEZ since April. In July, the Turkish research vessel Barbaros entered blocks 2, 3 and 13 in the Cyprus EEZ, an area southeast of Cape Greco.

In September, the Turkish research vessel Oruç Reis began to conduct research in the Eastern Mediterranean on a shelf that Greece considers its exclusive economic zone. This has caused serious tensions between the countries.