Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias warned Turkey that Greece is “full prepared” to deal with any situation that Turkey might create in the Aegean, if it goes ahead with its plan to infringe on Greek maritime space.
“They are unable to infringe on Greece’s sovereign rights,” Dendias said in a statement.
According to Dendias, Ankara’s illegal actions “are a follow-up to the non-existent Turkish-Libyan memorandum,” that was signed in November with the aim of carving up Greece’s maritime space between themselves.
“Greece was and remains fully prepared to face this challenge, as long as Turkey finally decides to implement it,” the Greek Foreign Minister continued.
He said that Turkey’s publication on allowing the Turkish state oil company to explore and research gas and oil fields in Greece’s maritime space was a part of a series of provocative actions.
However, they are unable to infringe on Greece’s sovereign rights as they are based on international law and the United Nations Charter Law of the Sea, in which Turkey is one of only 15 countries in the entire world to not sign.
“Let’s be clear. Our positions on this issue and on the consequences of Turkish delinquency are a given. They have been repeatedly notified to Turkey. Greece was and remains fully prepared to face this challenge, as long as Turkey finally decides to implement it,” Dendias concluded.
Development and Investment Minister, Adonis Georgiadis, joined Dendias in warning Turkey.
“Greece is ready for any eventuality, the allies are aware of our reaction and everything will go as it should,” Georgiadis told SKAI.
“I do not think that what Turkey and its economy need at the moment is a hot incident. A hot incident would certainly hurt Greece and its attempt to recovery. But Greece is at the core of the Eurozone and has the whole Europe behind it with packages and a fairly protected economy, while in Turkey the lira has taken a downturn and its economy is at the very edge. Turkey has to refinance $400 billion in debt this year. The last thing he needs is to have such a conflict,” the minister added.
