Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias made it clear that Greece’s sole dispute with Turkey that can be solved in the International court of the Hague is the boundary of the continental shelf and by extension the delimitation of the Exclusive Economic Zone. In his second message to Ankara, Dendias stressed that the Greek government cannot accept that any part of Greek territory will be “rendered grey”.
Speaking to state broadcaster ERT TV, Dendias said on the possibility of recourse to the International Court of Justice at The Hague, that Greece’s sole dispute with Turkey is the boundary of the continental shelf in the first place and, by extension as the international Law of the Sea has changed, delimitating the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ).
“Initially, we should try to solve it between us, and if we fail to resolve it between us, we will draw up a compromise [agreement to resort to international arbitration] to describe our problem, he added on the issue.
However, when it comes to solving the dispute between the two countries through the court of The Hague, Turkey presents a long list of claims towards Greece.
Asked by Turkish Presidency spokesman Ibrahim Kalin that Turkey will conduct seismic research and drill in the Eastern Mediterranean in the areas it considers to be illegitimate in accord with the Turkey-Libya memorandum, , Dendias urged the neighboring country to not continue on that path.
“I would hope and recommend to Turkey not to do this. My friendly advice to Turkey would be to not continue down this path.”
He warned Turkey that it has to refrain from acts to turn the central and eastern Mediterranean “into a Turkish lake with Greece an island within it. Forge it!”
He stressed that “if Turkey seeks a sea of peace and cooperation, then it will find in Greece the closest ally and the best listener, in a European and modern context, far from the policy of the canon-carriers.”
He noted that tension does not help Turkey and expressed his conviction that an understanding in European and modern terms is absolutely in the interest of the neighboring country.. He added that he was looking forward to a speedy improvement in Greek relations. “We want a European, modern Turkey, with open channels of communication.”
Dendias noted that there has been a tendency to diffuse tension in recent days, when compared to the previous weeks.
He expressed the hope that Erdogan does not plan any “hot incident” with Greece and said “in the direct possibility of a hot incident, we can alone, and even though we can alone, we will not be alone,” he said.
He dismissed Erdogan’s claims that the two countries had discussed in advance to avoid any tension on the islets of Imia on the anniversary of 30. January 1966.
