Fisheries law

Athens and Rome are expected to sign an agreement delimiting an exclusive economic zone (EEZ) between Greece and Italy on Tuesday.

The deal will be signed at a meeting in Athens between Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias and his Italian counterpart Luigi Di Maio, after concerns expressed by Rome were addressed and resolved, mainly concerning fishing rights in the Ionian Sea.

The Turkey-Libya memorandum of understanding (MoU) relating to maritime zones "cannot as a legal matter affect the rights or obligations of third states" such as Greece, a US energy official said on Tuesday during  a virtual roundtable discussion on the Eastern Mediterranean and the trilateral partnership between Greece, Cyprus and Israel.

An article by Vassilis Nedos which appeared in Kathimerini's Sunday edition on May 10, titled "Ankara's militarization on Athens' radar," refers to Rear Admiral Cihat Yayci's book "Requirements of Greece: The Problems in the Aegean with Questions and Answers," which was published recently by the Turkish Navy.

The foreign ministers of the European Union condemned on Friday the violation of Greek airspace and territorial waters by Turkey and Ankara's drilling plans in Cyprus' exclusive economic zone (EEZ) during a teleconference.

The Foreign Affairs ministers of Greece, Cyprus, Egypt, France and the United Arab Emirates called on Turkey to «fully respect the sovereignty and sovereign rights of all states in their marine zones in the East Mediterranean,» during a teleconference on Monday.

After fishing activities have been banned within the scope measures against the coronavirus outbreak, the number and diversity of fish in Turkish seas will increase, according to an expert.

Ertuğ Düzgüneş from Karadeniz Technical University said the fish population will reproduce during the spawning period of May and June without any fishing activity.

The energy companies Total of France and Eni of Italy have followed the example of ExxonMobil and suspended their planned drilling activities in Cyprus's exclusive economic zone this year due to concerns about the impact of the coronavirus pandemic, Kathimerini Cyprus has learned. 

Athens on Wednesday reacted strongly to the submission last week to the United Nations by Turkey's permanent representative to the UN, Feridun Sinirlioglu, of a letter that contained geographical coordinates based on the contentious maritime boundaries accord signed between Ankara and Libya's Tripoli-based government in November, ignoring the existence of Greek islands.

The EU has extended sanctions against Turkey for its drilling operations in the exclusive economic zone of the Republic of Cyprus. This is stated in the Official Journal of the EU, which published the relevant regulations, reports TASS.

In a letter to the United Nations, Greece has protested against Turkey's "unsubstantiated and legally unfounded claims" in the Eastern Mediterannean saying that they shun "the legitimate sovereign rights of Greece and of other neighboring countries" in the same maritime area.