'EU's draft for sanctions on Turkey is null and void'

By Emin Avundukluoglu

ANKARA (AA) - EU's approved framework for sanctions after Turkey's maritime pact with Libya is "null and void" for the country, the Turkish vice president said late Friday.

"The EU's approved framework for sanctions on Turkey by using our drilling activities as an excuse in the eastern Mediterranean is null and void for us," Fuat Oktay told lawmakers on the last day of 2020 budget debates.

Oktay noted that the recently signed pact between Turkey and Libya is "an important acquisition".

He said that the agreement will contribute to the interests of the two countries and peace in the region.

In late November, Turkey and Libya’s Tripoli-based Government of National Accord (GNA) signed the bilateral memorandum.

The memorandum asserts Turkey’s rights in the Eastern Mediterranean in the face of unilateral drilling by the Greek Cypriot administration, clarifying that the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) also has rights to the resources in the area.

The two countries' parliaments ratified the memorandum.