“It is illegal, it is arbitrary and it runs counter to geography itself,” Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said in his address to the UN Security Council on the Turkish-Libyan memorandum, describing it as “a flagrant violation of the fundamental principles of the international law of the sea”.
He stressed that Turkey and Libya had sought to create an artificial maritime boundary, “as if the Greek islands lying between their coasts did not exist”. As he put it, “Geography, ladies and gentlemen, cannot be rewritten. And sovereign rights cannot be erased by drawing arbitrary lines on a map.”
The prime minister said that islands are entitled to maritime zones, including a continental shelf and an exclusive economic zone. “No agreement between two states can deprive a third state of its sovereign rights, and no bilateral arrangement can override international law,” he stressed.
He added that the memorandum has no legal effect on Greece’s sovereign rights and that its recent ratification by Libya’s House of Representatives “cannot turn an illegal memorandum into a lawful agreement”.
Linking the issue to maritime security and regional development, he said the memorandum could not be used as a pretext to challenge lawful activities or obstruct strategic connectivity projects. “We cannot allow arbitrary maritime claims to become tools for obstructing the economic development and prosperity of an entire region,” he said.
He also condemned the attack on and sinking of a commercial vessel owned by a Greek company in the Black Sea, saying that “targeting commercial shipping is wholly unacceptable”. He reiterated the need for “a global maritime ceasefire”, noting that insecurity at sea disrupts supply chains, raises transport and insurance costs, and puts upward pressure on energy and basic goods prices.
On Europe’s role, he stressed that it “cannot aspire to be a global economic power while remaining a bystander when the security of its trade routes is at stake”. He referred to Operation “ASPIDES” and called for a stronger European security presence across the wider region.
He also highlighted the potential of artificial intelligence, satellites and advanced sensors, noting that “technology alone is not a strategy” and that international cooperation, information-sharing and investment are needed.
In closing, he reaffirmed that “Greece will remain a steadfast defender of international law and freedom of navigation”, stressing that “freedom of navigation depends on maritime security, and maritime security depends on respect for international law”.
SOURCE: AMNA