Cat-and-mouse game with Turkey must stop, Michel says

BRUSSELS (Reuters) – A game of “cat-and-mouse” between the European Union and Turkey needs to come to an end, European Council President Charles Michel said on Friday, in reference to a dispute over natural gas resources in the eastern Mediterranean.

“The game of cat and mouse must end,” Michel told a news conference, as Turkey again withdrew an exploration vessel from disputed waters ahead of an EU summit on Dec. 10 that is set to discuss possible sanctions on Turkey.

“In October, we defined a positive agenda, we reached out our hand,” said Michel, who chairs EU summits. “Turkey must stop its provocations, its hostile rhetoric,” he said.

(Reporting by John Chalmers)