The Council of Europe in a statement on Thursday said that it had extended sanctions on Turkish drilling operations in the eastern Mediterranean for another year.

Iran PressEurope: The Council of Europe noted in the statement that EU sanctions against Turkey have been extended until 12 November 2022.

According to the statement, the European Union can continue to impose targeted restrictive measures on individuals or entities responsible for or involved in Turkey's drilling operations in the eastern Mediterranean.

The statement from the Council of Europe states: Restrictive measures include blocking the assets of individuals and related entities, as well as banning listed individuals from traveling to the EU.

The European Union imposed sanctions on Turkey in 2019 in response to Turkish drilling in the eastern Mediterranean.

In recent years, tensions in the eastern Mediterranean have intensified over Turkey's efforts to launch drilling and exploration activities in the region.

Greece and Cyprus, along with some European countries, claim that Turkey's actions are illegal, and have warned Ankara of the consequences.

Turkey, however, has said it does not want tensions and is only seeking to discover more oil and gas fields, while Greece and Cyprus also claim ownership of the fields.

Turkey has serious differences with Greece and Cyprus over ownership of areas in the Eastern Mediterranean that have become particularly important due to oil and gas exploration. 219