Kasoulides: EU states paying heavy price from sanctions, Turkey should too

Foreign Minister Ioannis Kasoulides on Monday stressed the importance of a universal application of sanctions against Russia for the invasion of Ukraine, making specific reference to Turkey.

He was addressing the EU Foreign Affairs Council in Luxembourg.

European member states have “proceeded with imposing harsh sanctions despite the costs they will suffer from them”, he said, citing as an example the case of Cyprus, which will be affected in important economic areas such as tourism, shipping and services.

“The EU’s ability to put pressure on Russia to end the war goes hand in hand with maintaining the unity shown by the 27 in making important decisions such as the adoption of sanctions to date,” he said.

Unfortunately, these joint efforts from EU member states run counter to the non-imposition of sanctions by non-EU countries, such as Turkey, which reduces their effectiveness and “allows these countries to benefit from the suffering of the Ukrainian people, despite claiming to be on their side”.

While in Luxembourg the foreign minister attended meetings with his counterparts from several countries including Iceland, Norway, Estonia, Malta and the Netherlands.

On Tuesday Kasoulides will attend a General Affairs Council meeting where ministers will hold a country-specific discussion under the annual dialogue on the rule of law, discuss the Conference on the Future of Europe and attempt to reach conclusions on the next steps.