The events that occurred in the southeastern Aegean on Monday, during a maritime site-survey operation for laying an underwater power cable between Crete and Cyprus, have led to a spate of inaccuracies in public discourse, Greece’s Foreign Minister, George Gerapetritis told media on Saturday, noting that this case highlights the importance of proceeding with discussions for the full delimitation of the continental shelf and the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ).
In his statement to ‘Parapolitika’ newspaper, the Minister said that the Italian vessel had scheduled to conduct this survey, inter alia, within the Greek EEZ, as delimited between Greece and Egypt.
‘Trkiye claims rights in the same maritime area, based on the legally null and void Turkish-Libyan memorandum’, he said, adding that, for this reason, Turkish warships sailed in the broader area, according to the Greek Foreign Ministry.
At no stage did the risk of an escalated incident occur, due to the simultaneous presence of Greek and Turkish forces, the
Minister said.
He referred to the effectiveness of communication channels that had been established to defuse tensions between the two countries and said that the vessel carried on with its survey in less than 36 hours, as planned. The survey in international waters within the Greek EEZ lasted approximately five hours, he also noted.
‘Neither country has deviated from its respective fundamental positions, nor could such a deviation be reasonably anticipated’, he said. Indeed, Gerapetritis added, ‘as is explicitly stipulated in the Athens Declaration, their respective legal positions remain unaffected.’ Greece has neither recognised nor will it recognise the Turkish claims in any way, taking all necessary action with regards to them, as provided for by International Law, the Minister said.
‘In this context, however, it is of great value to have direct communication that prevents tensions from escalating into real crises, as has occurred on several occasions in the past, with a tremendous risk to peace’, he
added.
Gerapetritis also noted that this case highlights the importance of proceeding with discussions for the full delimitation of the continental shelf and the Exclusive Economic Zone. ‘Guided by the International Law of the Sea, our goal is long-lasting and sustainable peace. Today in particular, as Greece enjoys significant power at all levels’, he said.
Earlier in the week, Greek authorities referred to the presence of Turkish navy ships off the Greek island of Kasos, in an area where an Italian vessel was carrying out surveys for laying an underwater cable to connect the electricity grids of Greece and Cyprus, noting that moves were being made at all levels by the Greek Foreign Ministry to alleviate the situation.
Source: Cyprus News Agency