EU leaders plan to discuss arm exports to Turkey with NATO allies and Washington, German Chancellor Angela Merkel said on Friday, after Greece pushed for an arms embargo on Ankara.
Merkel spoke after a summit where the EU's 27 leaders agreed to prepare limited sanctions on Turkish individuals over Ankara's energy exploration dispute with Greece and Cyprus but postponed discussions on any harsher steps until March.
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"We ... spoke about how questions about arms exports must be discussed within NATO. We said that we want to coordinate with the new US administration about Turkey," Merkel told a news conference. Many EU states are also members of NATO.
Merkel's comments underlined a hardening stance on Turkey among EU governments, many of whom have in the past resisted punitive measures on Ankara, a NATO ally, candidate for EU membership and host to Syrians fleeing civil war who would otherwise seek refuge in Europe.
