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Greece has formally challenged the Turkish-Libyan maritime memorandum at the United Nations, arguing that the agreement violates international law and disregards the maritime rights of Greek islands, including Crete and the Dodecanese.<\/p>\n
The full text of Athens\u2019 letter, submitted to the UN on October 22, has now been published.<\/p>\n
The letter was sent by Greece\u2019s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Ambassador Aglaia Balta, on the government\u2019s instructions, two days after the maritime agreement was signed.<\/p>\n
Read more: Greece and Allies Reject Turkey-Libya Maritime Deal as Illegal (VID)<\/p>\n
Athens maintains that the Turkish-Libyan memorandum breaches the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) and cannot create legal effects for third countries.<\/p>\n
In her letter, Balta stressed that the agreement ignores the presence of numerous Greek islands and their entitlement to generate maritime zones beyond their territorial waters.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt entirely disregards the presence of numerous Greek islands, including Crete and the Dodecanese islands, and their entitlements to generate maritime zones beyond the territorial sea,\u201d she stated.<\/p>\n
Greece also reiterated its rejection of a separate 2022 agreement between Turkey and Libya concerning hydrocarbon exploration, which Athens considers incompatible with international law.<\/p>\n
Despite its strong objections, Greece reaffirmed its commitment to resolving maritime boundary disputes through diplomacy and international law.<\/p>\n
Balta pointed to Greece\u2019s existing maritime delimitation agreements with Italy and Egypt as examples of its approach to resolving outstanding disputes peacefully.<\/p>\n
Athens also reserved all its legal rights in response to the Turkish-Libyan agreements.<\/p>\n
The diplomatic dispute intensified on October 20, when Libya\u2019s eastern-based parliament ratified the 2019 maritime memorandum with Turkey.<\/p>\n
The decision marked a significant shift after years of opposition to the agreement from the eastern Libyan authorities, bringing them closer to the rival administration based in Tripoli.<\/p>\n
The memorandum, originally signed by Turkey and the Tripoli-based Government of National Accord in 2019, establishes a claimed maritime boundary between the two countries that Greece has consistently rejected.<\/p>\n
Athens argues that the arrangement disregards the maritime entitlements of Greek islands, particularly Crete, and conflicts with established principles of international maritime law.<\/p>\n
Greece, the European Union, Cyprus, Egypt, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates have issued a joint declaration at the United Nations opposing the maritime delimitation agreement.<\/p>\n
The growing diplomatic response highlights wider regional concerns over the implications of the Turkey-Libya memorandum for maritime boundaries, energy exploration and stability in the Eastern Mediterranean.<\/p>\n
Greece has maintained that any maritime delimitation must comply with international law, including UNCLOS, and respect the rights of all affected coastal states.<\/p>\n
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