Erdogan, Rama and the 12 nautical miles

Immediately after Greece announced the expansion of its territorial waters in the Ionian Sea from 6 to 12 miles, some in Albania started playing the same old, tired tune: "Greece is making a grab at our seas."

To protect himself from the political fallout, Edi Rama tried to calm the objectors, saying that Greece has the right, provided by the international Law of the Sea, to expand its territorial waters when it sees fit, like Albania itself had done in 1990.

The Albanian leader is right on this issue, although it is certain that if he were in opposition he would object.

The real purpose of this commotion is to prevent - or at least delay - the issue of the delimitation of Greece's and Albania's exclusive economic zones from reaching the International Court at The Hague, as Athens and Tirana agreed last October. Many suspect an effort is under way to achieve...