Just a few hours after Greece and Egypt signed the historic agreement of the Exclusive Economic Zone on Thursday, Turkey’s Foreign Ministry issued a statement claiming “a maritime boundary” between the two countries does not exist” and that such an agreement was “null and void.” The demarcated area is “located in the Turkish continental shelf,” Ankara claimed further.
The Turkish Foreign Ministry claimed that “Greece and Egypt had no mutual sea border.”
“The so-called demarcated area is located on Turkey’s continental shelf, as reported to the UN,” the ministry added.
Ankara claimed that “Egypt had already abandoned 11,500 square kilometers (3,350 square nautical miles) of its continental shelf with a previous agreement it signed with the Greek Cypriot administration in 2003.”
“Egypt is again losing its maritime jurisdiction with the latest so-called treaty, which seeks to usurp Libya’s rights as well,” the statement added.
“Turkey will not allow any activity in these areas and will continue to resolutely defend its legitimate rights and interests in the Eastern Mediterranean, as well as those of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus,” the statement concluded.
Unofficial map of the EEZ maritime deal between Greece and Egypt.
