Israel is fully committed to the agreement on the demarcation of the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) signed with the Republic of Cyprus in 2010, Israeli Ambassador to Cyprus Sammy Revel was quoted as saying by the Cyprus News Agency.
Revel stressed that "Israel respects Cyprus' right to exercise its sovereign rights in its EEZ," adding that his country is fully committed to the agreement on demarcating it that was signed between the two countries in 2010.
Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu argued in an interview with CNN Turk that Israel conceded some sea areas to Cyprus that belonged to Israel.
It has been a difficult few weeks for Çavuşoğlu as he has not only failed to convince Israel to cancel its maritime agreement with Cyprus, but he has failed to deter Egypt from negotiating with Greece to create one.
He had similar worries with Italy immediately after the co-signing of the EEZ delimitation agreement that was concluded earlier this week in Athens by Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias and his Italian counterpart Luigi Di Mayo.
In desperation Çavuşoğlu said "We say that not every island can have a continental shelf. In particular, the islands that are far from the mainland and closer to Turkey cannot have a continental shelf,” in reference to Kastellorizo island.
Russia’s Ambassador to Athens in an interview joined the European Union and the United States in saying that islands do have a continental shelf and Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) in face of Turkey’s insistence that they do not, as reported by Greek City Times.
Russian Ambassador Andrei Maslov, proposed the need for strict observance of international law, the avoidance of provocative actions, as well as the resolution of problems through peaceful means, something that Turkey adamantly refuses to do.
When asked about Turkey’s provocative actions in the Aegean and the EEZ of Cyprus, the Russian official stated that “the only beacon for us here is international law. The coastal zone, the continental shelf, the EEZ of the islands, the prohibition of threats or the use of force are self-evident things,” characterising the Law of the Sea as the cornerstone of the maritime regime.