French Ambassador to Athens, Patrick Maisonnave, described the Turkey-Libya deal as “bogus” on Monday and underlined the interest of his country to boost defense ties with Greece.
Referring to Turkey’s provocations in the region, which he described as “activism,” he said, “we shall see how we respond to this behavior.”
With regards to the Turkey-Libya deal on maritime boundaries, the French ambassador said, “we are faced with a NATO ally that is taking initiatives beyond the limits of international law.
He spoke an “illegal memorandum” and underlined that also President Emmanuel Macron has condemned it
“France condemns this memorandum which blatantly violates international law,” he stressed.
He described as “illegal” also the Turkish drilling in the Exclusive Economic Zone of Cyprus.
Ambassador Maisonnave made these statements during a press conference held at the French amphibious assault ship and helicopter carrier “Dixmude” that is docked at the port of Piraeus.
Dixmude participates in the military exercises “Megas Alexandors” (Alexander the Great) a joint drill of Greek and US armed forces – and for the first time also of French ones.
“The presence here of this ship shows that France wants to have a presence in this part of the world,” Maisonnave stressed.
To boost further the relations of the two countries, Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis will meet President Macron in Paris on Wednesday.
France is one of the few EU countries that openly condemn the Turkey-Libya deal and stand by Greece on the issue.
![Pinterest](https://pinterest.com/pin/create/button/?url=https://www.keeptalkinggreece.com/2020/01/27/france-maisonnave-greece-dizmude-bogus/&media=https://www.keeptalkinggreece.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/maisonnave.jpg&description=French Ambassador to Athens, Patrick Maisonnave, described the Turkey-Libya deal as "bogus" on Monday and underlined the interest of his country to){kind=link}