By ARISTOTELIA PELONI, Kathimerini
Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said on Wednesday that Greece’s composed and steady response to Turkey’s behavior should not be misinterpreted, insisting that “illegal actions do not give rise to justice.”
Speaking during his meeting on Wednesday with visiting Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic, Mitsotakis said Greece’s calm demeanor in the face of “persistent” illegal actions by Turkey is a sign of confidence, stemming from the fact that it has the “will and the means” to defend its national sovereignty and rights “whenever need be.”
He also underscored, ahead of Thursday’s European Council, that “the international community in its entirety is on Greece’s side on the issue of the invalid Turkey-Libya memorandum of cooperation.”
The European Union, the US, Russia, Egypt and Israel have already condemned the accord, he said. “Our country has allies around the world,” Mitsotakis stated and reiterated that for Greece respect for international law is a precondition for good-neighborly relations.
Mitsotakis will raise Turkey’s behavior and the accord at tonight’s EU leaders’ dinner and is expected to seek its unanimous condemnation by the council as a violation of the Law of the Sea.
According to the draft statement prepared for the two-day summit, EU leaders will say “the memorandum of understanding on the delimitation of maritime jurisdictions in the Mediterranean Sea infringes upon the sovereign rights of third states [and] does not comply with the [UN] Law of the Sea.”
“The European Council unequivocally reaffirms its solidarity with Greece and Cyprus regarding these actions by Turkey,” the draft said.
Moreover, a spokesperson for the German Foreign Ministry expressed Berlin’s solidarity with Greece and Cyprus.
Meanwhile, the United Nations confirmed on Wednesday that it received a letter sent by Greece in which it criticizes the maritime border deal.
