Athens seeking Tirana deal for Hague referral

Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias will examine the possibility of signing an agreement that will refer the delimitation of the exclusive economic zones of Greece and Albania to the International Court of Justice in The Hague during a meeting in Athens with his counterpart Olta Xhacka.

The outcome of the meeting on Friday will to a large degree determine result of next week’s visit to Albania by Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis where he is expected to meet his Albanian counterpart Edi Rama. In their previous meetings the Albanian leader agreed on the need to move forward with the deal. However, no meeting at a technical level has occurred to further the agreement. A central sticking point regarding the demarcation is the impact of the islands of Ereikousa and Othona, as Albania does not accept the principle of the median line and the full impact of these islands. 

The meeting comes at a time when Greece is determined to close its pending maritime zone settlements with all neighboring countries (except Turkey).

Athens has become more determined to this end, especially after the recent Turkey-Libya agreement that has returned to the fore discussions on continental shelves in the region.

Greece and Albania had already agreed on an EEZ settlement in 2009, but it was never implemented as Albania did not ratify it, with the country’s Constitutional Court striking it down.

Turkey was an important factor in this development as it used its influence in Albania to smother the agreement, depriving Athens of both a diplomatic victory and a rapprochement with Tirana.

Tellingly, it was the current Albanian prime minister, as the leader of the opposition at the time, who torpedoed the 2009 EEZ agreement by taking it to court, the year the country officially joined NATO.