Greece warns Turkey against illegal activities in EEZ established by 2020 deal
In a stern warning to its Aegean rival Turkey, Greece indicated on Friday that it will not tolerate any illegal Turkish activities within the exclusive economic zone established by the 2020 deal between Athens and Cairo.
“No ‘respect’ has been shown or will be shown in the future by the Greek Armed Forces towards illegal actions by Turkey within the legally demarcated zone between Greece and Egypt, as provided and mandated by the Constitution of the Hellenic Republic,” Defense Ministry sources said.
This warning follows a naval incident in the southeastern Aegean earlier this week, where a flotilla of Turkish ships gathered near the Greek islands of Kassos and Karpathos. Turkey claimed that a research ship had violated its continental shelf, asserting that it had granted permission for the ship to conduct its research and depart. This implied that the Greek navigational warning (Navtex) describing the research ship’s mission was invalid.
The incident, which nearly disrupted the recent detente between the two countries and almost reverted relations to the period of tension between 2018 and 2022, has once again highlighted Turkish claims against portions of Greece’s exclusive maritime zone.
