ATHENS – [ANA-MPA]
Greece’s Permanent Mission to the United Nations in New York on Tuesday delivered a Note Verbale to the United Nations in response to Libya’s Note Verbale of June 20 regarding the announcement of maritime blocks south of Crete.
Through the Note Verbale, Athens refutes Libya’s claims, according to diplomatic sources. It initially pointed out that the maritime blocks referenced by the Libyan side lie within the Greek continental shelf/EEZ and under Greek jurisdiction, in accordance with the international law of the sea.
These areas have been delineated based on the median line between Greece and Libya, as well as the relevant Greece–Egypt EEZ agreement. The same applies to the licences already granted by the competent Greek authorities for hydrocarbon exploration and exploitation.
In contrast, Libya’s claims regarding the limits of its maritime zones, which attempt to disregard Greece’s sovereign rights, violate the international law of the sea, as they are based on the illegal and null-and-void Turkiye–Libya memorandum, as well as the unilateral closure of the Gulf of Sidra, about which Greece has already lodged a complaint with the UN.
From the Greek side, emphasis is placed on Libya’s confirmation of its intention for dialogue and negotiation. Greek diplomacy is already moving in this direction, as demonstrated by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ most recent initiatives, the same sources note.
