Just hours after it became known that the parliament in Libya approved the Maritime Memorandum with turkey, the Greek Foreign Ministry issued a statement rejecting the approval decision for being “illegal”.
Greece has rejected the Maritime Memorandum right from the beginning in 2019 and had also briefed its EU partners accordingly.
Foreign Ministry Statement
Greece rejects the decision by the Libyan House of Representatives to approve the spurious 2019 Turkish-Libyan memorandum on the delimitation of maritime zones.
This decision does not alter the illegal, null and void, and groundless nature of the memorandum, which contravenes the international Law of the Sea and infringes upon the sovereign rights of states in the region.
Geography and the international Law of the Sea cannot be changed by unilateral, legally unfounded parliamentary decisions. Turkey and Libya do not possess opposite or adjacent coasts that would provide a legal basis for the attempted delimitation of maritime zones. Furthermore, the memorandum disregards Greek islands and their rights to maritime zones under UNCLOS and customary international law.
Having already concluded agreements on the delimitation of maritime zones with Egypt and Italy—in accordance with the international Law of the Sea—Greece has demonstrated its respect for international law and the sovereign rights of neighboring states. We call upon the Libyan side to refrain from any action that runs counter to international law and undermines stability in the Eastern Mediterranean.
Greece has already informed its partners and allies and will take all appropriate measures to safeguard its sovereign rights.
More on the Maritime Memorandum HERE on KTG