Turkey issues new NAVTEX for area between Rhodes and Kastellorizo

Turkey responded to the signing of a maritime demarcation agreement between Greece and Egypt, by issuing a Navigation Telex (NAVTEX) reserving the area between the islands of Rhodes and Kastellorizo for military exercises.

The exercises are scheduled to take place on August 10 and 11.

It is recalled that the Greek Armed Forces are on high alert on land, sea and air, and are closely monitoring Turkish movements.

Ankara also reacted to the news of the agreement on the demarcation of the maritime borders between Greece and Egypt.

"For us, the agreement is non-existent," the Turkish Foreign Ministry said in a statement, adding: "There is no maritime border between Greece and Egypt. For Turkey, the alleged border demarcation agreement announced today was non-existent. This view of ours will be done both on the front and on the table."

The announcement also stated that "the alleged area of ​​responsibility is located within the Turkish continental shelf that has been declared to the United Nations."

"Egypt, which evacuated an area of ​​11,500 square kilometres with the agreement it signed with the Greek Cypriot administration in 2003, now with the so-called agreement it signed with Greece, loses maritime responsibility areas," the same statement continued.

In conclusion, it stressed that it will "not allow any activity in the region and there is no doubt that it will resolutely support its legitimate interests and rights in the Eastern Mediterranean as well as the rights of the Turkish Cypriots."

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis hailed the agreement signed between Greece and Egypt, saying that it had “restored legality in the region.”

Mitsotakis said the agreement had recognised the Greek islands’ lawful rights to all maritime zones, while attacking last year’s contentious Turkey-Libya maritime boundaries agreement. “[The deal] creates a new reality in the Eastern Mediterranean as it restores legality in the region, a legality that the illegal and groundless Turkey-Libya memorandum sought to challenge."

“With Egypt, like we did with Italy a few months ago, we showed that abiding with international law is the only path to security, peace, stability and good neighbourly relations,” he added.