Athens responds to Ankara over the maritime agreement between Turkey and Libya

Athens, Greece  (PANA) -  Greek diplomatic sources reacted on Sunday to statements by the Turkish Foreign Ministry criticizing the position of Greece and Cyprus in relation to the maritime agreement signed between Libya and Turkey.

Quoted by the website of the Greek newspaper Kathimeriní, these sources said that “international law must be fully respected, not partially”.

“Refusing to sign the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, adopted by 168 countries, or making military threats to enforce international law, do not facilitate negotiations,” the newspaper added, quoting Greek diplomatic sources.

According to these sources, “Greece is committed to rigorously respecting international law and upholding the policy of good neighbourliness, but this must apply to everyone”.

The Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a statement on Saturday in response to the conclusions of the European Union Summit, which criticized the maritime delimitation agreement signed between Libya and Turkey.

Turkey described the position of Greece and Cyprus as "extremist and contrary to international law", claiming that the memorandum of understanding between Ankara and Tripoli signed in 2019 was fully in line with international law. 

"The same response was given by the Libyan government led by Osama Hamada, based in Benghazi, which, like its rival in Tripoli, asserted that the agreement on maritime delimitation between Libya and Turkey complied with international law.

-0- PANA AT/IN/IS/BBA/RA 30June2025