Erdogan says next EU summit cannot take steps against Turkey

President Tayyip Erdogan said on Friday that “reasonable countries” in the European Union had thwarted efforts against Turkey at a summit this week and the next meeting of EU leaders in March would not yield results that hurt Ankara.

EU leaders agreed on Thursday to prepare limited sanctions on Turkish individuals over an energy exploration dispute with Greece and Cyprus, postponing any harsher steps until March as countries sparred over how to handle Ankara.

“Our rights must be granted. There are now many rights that EU member states must grant Turkey,” Erdogan told reporters after Friday prayers. “Reasonable countries in the EU thwarted this game by showing a positive stance,” he added, referring to Greek, French and Cypriot demands to sanction Turkey.

Shying away from a threat made in October to consider wider economic measures, EU leaders agreed a summit statement on Dec. 10 that paves the way to punish individuals accused of planning or taking part in what the bloc says is unauthorised drilling off Cyprus.

The steps did not go far enough for Greece, with envoys saying the country expressed frustration that the EU was hesitant to target Turkey's economy over the hydrocarbons dispute, as Germany, Italy and Spain pushed to give diplomacy more time.