What are EU states threatening Turkey

The southern European Union states said they would draft a list of sanctions against Turkey if Ankara does not come to the negotiating table to resolve a territorial dispute with Greece and Cyprus.

The warning was made late Thursday, following an informal summit of the so-called MED7 group, led by France's president, Emmanuel Macron.

Greece and Cyprus are at odds with Ankara over natural gas reserves and sea borders.

Turkey says it has the right to seek gas in areas the two EU countries say are part of their exclusive economic zones.

The MED7 Group, which includes Mediterranean coastal-line states, said through a joint statement that it expresses “full support and solidarity with Cyprus and Greece, in the face of repeated violations of their sovereignty, as well as the confrontational actions of Turkey”.

The MED7 position does not necessarily reflect the EU's position as a whole.

Macron said the problem lies, not with the Turkish people, but with President Recep Tayip Erdogan's government.

Omer Celik, spokesman for Erdogan's party, wrote on Twitter that Macron is taking a “kolonist” stance.

Turkey has expressed a desire to join the EU over the past five decades, but analysts say the growing number of disputes between Erdogan and the bloc's leaders has dimmed those prospects.