The European Union’s foreign affairs chief Josep Borrell will present a set of options on Turkey that will be broader than sanctions, EURACTIV reported referring to a senior EU official.

At the upcoming meeting of EU foreign ministers in Berlin scheduled for 27-28 August Borrell will present options for the EU's action with Turkey in connection with illegal gas production in the Eastern Mediterranean, migration, and Ankara's involvement in Libya and Syria.

Sanctions on persons and legal entities will be part of the discussion. Athens has asked for sectorial sanctions hitting Turkish banks. But the executive’s proposed options “will be something broader than sanctions,” the official said.

He noted that the EU has already cut a lot of funds allocated to Ankara and added that an EU member state has asked to completely abandon the prospect of Turkey's EU membership.

No final decision is expected in Berlin other than an in-depth discussion.

Turkey sent a seismic vessel Oruc Reis to the territorial waters of Greece, accompanied by ships of the Turkish Navy. The mission was supposed to end on 23 August, but Ankara decided to extend it for another four days until Thursday.

The visits of German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas to Athens and Ankara have yielded no tangible results. Greece claims that Ankara is unreliable for dialogue, and Turkey hints at military action.

The EU official made it clear that any dialogue with Turkey will take place on one condition: Ankara must stop any illegal activity in the Eastern Mediterranean.