Athens Rejects Libyan Maritime Claims Ahead of High-Level Talks

Just days aft U.S. vigor elephantine Chevron expressed ceremonial involvement successful hydrocarbon exploration south of Crete, Athens has delivered a steadfast effect to Libya’s latest diplomatic enactment asserting claims successful the Eastern Mediterranean under the Turkey-Libya maritime accord. The timing comes up of a scheduled gathering betwixt Greek Foreign Minister Giorgos Gerapetritis and his Libyan counterpart adjacent week.

In its letter, Greece refutes Tripoli’s assertions, stressing erstwhile again that the Turkey-Libya memorandum is legally void, arsenic the two states bash not stock opposing coastlines and so cannot found communal maritime boundaries. Athens underlines that the woody violates the UN Convention connected the Law of the Sea by disregarding the sovereign rights of Greek islands, peculiarly Crete and the Dodecanese.

The Greek broadside besides reiterates that offshore blocks south of Crete—areas precocious eyed by Chevron—fall squarely under Greek jurisdiction. Libya had earlier challenged Greece’s close to contented exploration licenses, arguing that the median enactment should beryllium drawn solely from continental coasts. Athens responded with a elaborate demarche to the United Nations successful August, defending its position.

Greece further rejects Libya’s delineation of its continental support arsenic outlined successful the May 27 note, pointing retired irregularities successful the use of straight baselines and the closure of the Gulf of Sirte, some incompatible with planetary maritime law.

It besides notes that Tripoli’s eastbound bound mirrors the contours of the contested Turkey-Libya accord, erstwhile again sidelining the rights of Greek islands and adjacent the imaginable hold of territorial waters to 12 nautical miles.

Diplomatic sources successful Athens view Libya’s stance arsenic efficaciously dictated by Ankara, dovetailing with Turkey’s “Blue Homeland” doctrine. Greek officials stress that while the contiguous exchanges are with Tripoli, the broader confrontation is with Turkish revisionism successful the region.

The upcoming Gerapetritis–Libyan overseas curate gathering is expected to δοκιμή whether dialog connected Exclusive Economic Zone and continental support delimitation—frozen since 2010—can resume.

Greece has already acceptable up a technical committee, led by Deputy Foreign Minister Alexandra Papadopoulou, but insists that immoderate meaningful advancement hinges connected Libya abandoning the Turkey-Libya memorandum.

Source: tovima.com