BRUSSELS — European Union leaders early Friday finally broke a longstanding impasse to impose sanctions against Belarus as they tackled a raft of interconnected issues — from Turkey to the coronavirus recovery fund to the rule of law — that would have been complicated even if taken one by one. The delay in punishing Belarus for its crackdown after flawed elections on Aug. 9 had been a huge embarrassment for the bloc, and one that Charles Michel, president of the European Council, which comprises the bloc’s leaders, had insisted on resolving, at long last. The sanctions had been blocked by Cyprus, which wants penalties imposed on Turkey for its energy explorations in Cypriot and Greek waters. Early Friday morning, after eight hours of talks, the leaders agreed on language that urges Turkey to enter serious negotiations with both Cyprus and Greece on disputed waters and energy rights, and threatens sanctions against it for breaches of international law. Mr. Michel said Brussels still hoped to create “a positive agenda” with Turkey and would review relations in December.

Source: International New York Times October 01, 2020 11:51 UTC