Editorial Ta Nea: Τurkey’s tactic of shifting tensions

It should be made clear that the 2019 Turkey-Libya Memorandum of Understanding on the Delimitation of Maritime Jurisdiction Areas in the Mediterranean (signed by the two countries’ foreign ministers at the time, photo) is illegal, and that is will be persistently and intensely condemned and denounced by Greece, with institutional and diplomatic steadfastness.

Yesterday, the Libyan Parliament rejected the agreement with Turkey, which involves the exploitation of hydrocarbons.

Greece should keep in mind, however, that Turkey shifts tensions in the wider region as it sees fit, without taking even a step back from its revisionist policies.

Hence, Athens also must maintain a stable and unflinching stress on the need for everyone to respect the Greece-Egypt agreement on the delimitation of the two countries’ Exclusive Economic Zones (EEZs), and steadfastly internationalise the fact that in the Mediterranean as well, Ankara is violating international law and torpedoing stability at a time when the Ukrainian front is by its nature vulnerable and able to trigger wider geopolitical turbulence.

In the nexus of Greece’s arguments – which are just and in sync with international realities – Athens must not forget that the Turkey-Libya agreement is not illegal only as regards the maritime jurisdictions of Greece and Cyprus, but also as regards other countries, such as the United Arab Emirates.

Greece, therefore, must utilise to the greatest degree every possible alliance, even on a tactical level, maintaining stable contacts and highlighting Turkey’s violation of international law, which opens the way for dangerous developments

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