Greece calls on Turkey to immediately recall the new Navtex – Strict response from Athens

Defence Redefined

12/10/2020

A statement issued by the Greek Ministry of Foreign Affairs states that the new illegal Turkish Navtex for illegal surveys south of Kastelorizo on the Greek continental shelf, at a distance of only 6.5 nautical miles from the Greek coast, is a major escalation and a direct threat to peace and security in the region.

“Just a few days after the meeting of the Foreign Ministers of Greece and Turkey, during which the Turkish side promised to propose a date for exploratory contacts, its unreliability is demonstrated again as well as the fact that Turkey sincerely does not want dialogue. It insists on aggressive and illegal tactics of past centuries, clearly confirming its role as the pre-eminent factor of instability and delinquency in the region from Libya to the Aegean, Cyprus, Syria, Iraq and now Nagorno-Karabakh.”

At the same time, the Greek Foreign Ministry notes that Turkey systematically ignores International Law, International Maritime Law and the rules of good neighborliness. It undermines any attempt at dialogue, ignoring the urgings of the International Community. It is provocatively indifferent to the European Union’s urges to comply with international law, as a self-evident condition of every step forward in Euro-Turkish relations.

“We call on Turkey to immediately recall its decision. To immediately end its illegal actions through which it systematically undermines peace and security in the region,” Athens said.

Finally, it is noted that Greece, as a modern European state, is not blackmailed and will continue to defend its sovereignty and sovereign rights, while contributing to the consolidation of regional security and stability.

Source: CNA

Also read: Turkey issues new NAVTEX for “ORUC REIS” south of Kastelorizo