Kyriakos Mitsotakis, the Prime Minister of Greece, strongly criticized the new maritime agreement between the Eastern Libyan Parliament and Turkey on Thursday, describing it as "clearly illegal and invalid." He added that this agreement "completely disregards geography" and undermines regional security.
Call for Global Ceasefire
Mitsotakis, in an interview conducted ahead of Greece's presidency of the United Nations Security Council coming to an end, also called for an "immediate international ceasefire" to protect maritime transport in the Black Sea. This request came after a Greek-owned container ship sank following a drone attack on Wednesday.
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The maritime border agreement signed last week by the Eastern Libyan Parliament with Turkey received negative reactions from Athens and other countries, including Egypt, Bahrain, and the United Arab Emirates. These countries viewed the agreement as a threat to regional security and the international legal order.
Criticism of Turkey and Libya
The Greek Prime Minister continued, saying: "This agreement completely disregards geography and ignores the existence of Greek islands. It seems that these islands have completely disappeared from the thinking of Turkey and Libya." He accused Turkey and Libya of attempting to create a "fait accompli" that disregards the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.
Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, the President of Turkey, has deemed the reactions from the European Union and others regarding the endorsement of this agreement as baseless and defended Ankara's policy in the Eastern Mediterranean. Since the Libya-Turkey agreement in 2019, Greece has granted a license to a consortium led by Chevron to explore for gas near the island of Crete and is seeking a separate agreement with Libya to delineate its maritime areas.
Mitsotakis also emphasized: "There is no danger that these explorations will be challenged in any way." Referring to Libya and Greece as "natural neighbors," he urged the African country to negotiate directly with Athens and to consider these negotiations as "very serious."
The Greek Prime Minister further stressed the necessity of a global ceasefire for the freedom of navigation, stating: "Allowing grain exports from this region to other parts of the world is a top priority." He added: "Greek shipowners will be the first to resume trade in the Black Sea, provided a safe route is guaranteed."
He also pointed to Ukraine's financial dependence on its exports, saying: "Ukraine had a good harvest, but the grains are now sitting in silos and are at risk of spoiling." Mitsotakis continued, "Unfortunately, at this moment, Russia does not seem willing to engage in serious discussions."
The Greek Prime Minister also called on the European Union to strengthen its maritime mission named "Aspida," which was launched to protect maritime transport in the Red Sea. He emphasized the importance of having a tangible presence and hard assets in this region, stating: "We need more countries to participate in Aspida."
Mitsotakis concluded by referencing recent developments between the Houthis and Saudi Arabia, discussing the necessity of enhancing security in these vital waterways for European trade.
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