Sommer, an MP for Die Linke (the Left Party), said that her party has called for sanctions on Erdogan and his Justice and Development Party (AKP), but rejected general economic sanctions that would affect the people as well.

“If the EU does not want to completely lose its political credibility, it should apply sanctions,” she said.

Turkey continued its natural gas exploration, and Erdogan and his ally Devlet Bahceli, far-right leader of the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP), broke international law when they visited the deserted town of Varosha in northern Cyprus, Sommer said.

Varosha had been closed as part of a U.N.-endorsed buffer zone following a Greek-backed coup attempt and Turkey’s invasion of the island in 1974.

In December, EU leaders agreed to blacklist individuals involved in Turkey’s drilling activities in the waters disputed with EU members Greece and Cyprus in the Mediterranean. Assets of two members of the Turkish Petroleum Corp (TPAO) were frozen, and their travel rights were restricted.

The EU would have rewarded Turkey with an updated customs union, visa exemptions for Turkish citizens and increased payments as part of a 2016 refugee deal if it ended its aggressive policies in the eastern Mediterranean, she said. “But there was no softening in Turkey’s policy. On the contrary, the provocations increased.”

The lawmaker was referring to Operation Olive Branch, a military campaign Turkey launched against Kurdish forces controlling parts of northern Syria.

The EU has failed to come up with a right solution on the Syrian war or on refugees, Sommer said. The EU did not truly have a policy, instead relying on the refugee deal championed by German Chancellor Angela Merkel, she said.

Ankara signed a 2016 deal with the EU to cut the influx of refugees from trying to enter the bloc through Turkey, in exchange for 6 billion euros in aid. As part of the agreement, the bloc promised to update the customs union between the EU and Turkey and visa-free travel for Turkish citizens.

It was wrong for Europe to demand Turkey to host refugees in return for billions of euros in funding, Sommer said.

“Erdogan uses the agreement as a tool of blackmail, and Germany, which does not want to relive the refugee crisis of 2015, bows to Erdogan and tolerates all policies of war and violence,” she said.

Reporter's code: 50101