Law of the sea

The Greece-Italy agreement delimiting the two countries' Exclusive Economic Zones is undoubtedly a milestone in Greek foreign policy.

The reason is that it not only resolves an issue that has festered for 43 years but also because it sends a resounding message to Ankara that Greece will not only invoke international law but is also prepared and determined to enforce it.

Greece and Italy on June 9 signed an accord on maritime boundaries to establish an exclusive economic zone (EEZ) between the two countries.

The agreement was signed during Italian Foreign Minister Luigi Di Maio's visit to the Greek capital Athens.

Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias has said he will travel to Cairo on June 18 to resume talks with Egyptian officials on demarcating maritime boundaries between the two countries.

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.

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.

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.