A meeting of the UN Security Council on “Emerging Technologies and Maritime Security”, held under Greece’s presidency, turned into a diplomatic clash between Greece and Turkey over the Turkey-Libya memorandum.
Turkey’s Permanent Representative to the UN, Ambassador Ahmet Yıldız, responding to remarks by Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, argued that “this Council is not a court for delimiting maritime zones” and that “a map can depict a claim, but it cannot adjudicate it”. He defended the Turkey-Libya memorandum, stressing that “it has been in force since 2019”, and noted that recent parliamentary action in Libya reflected the Libyan people’s support for it.
Turkey’s Permanent Representative argued that the memorandum “neither determines nor prejudges the rights of states that are not party to it”. Referring to the Greek islands, he said that “Turkey does not dispute the existence, population or sovereignty of these islands”.
As he put it, “the legal issue is different. It concerns the effect that should be given to islands when delimiting overlapping maritime claims”. He cited international jurisprudence on islands not automatically being accorded full effect and noted that Turkey is not a party to the Convention on the Law of the Sea. He also revived Erdoğan’s proposal for an Eastern Mediterranean conference, referring to the rights of Turkish Cypriots and of the self-proclaimed “TRNC”.
Responding to Turkey’s claims, Greece’s Permanent Representative to the UN, Ambassador Aglaia Balta, reiterated Greece’s position that “Greece categorically rejects the so-called Turkey-Libya memorandum on maritime delimitation”, stressing that it “runs counter to both geography and international law”.
She stressed that its recent purported ratification by Libya’s House of Representatives could not change its legal character as “null and void” and that it “produces no legal effect”. “Geography cannot be reshaped. This is not a slogan,” she said, adding that “nor can an agreement between two states prejudice the sovereign rights of a third state”.
Ms Balta also stressed that “international law cannot be applied selectively to serve unilateral claims”, citing Greece’s maritime delimitation agreements with Italy and Egypt.
Responding to Turkey’s objection to discussing maritime delimitations in the Security Council, she said that “respect for the Law of the Sea lies at the heart” of maritime security, adding that “reminding states of the rules governing our seas is not an abuse of the Council. It is its very purpose”.
Turkey’s Permanent Representative reiterated that “substantive negotiations are needed” and said he hoped they would take place as soon as possible.
In her third intervention, Ms Balta stressed that “Greece has consistently pursued good-neighbourly relations with Turkey, based on mutual respect, international law and the principles of the Charter of the United Nations”.
“We remain committed to dialogue and the peaceful resolution of disputes, but meaningful dialogue requires respect for international law, sovereignty and sovereign rights,” she concluded.
SOURCE: AMNA