ANKARA (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 14th December, 2019) The Turkish Foreign Ministry on Friday issued a statement condemning the decision of the European Union to not recognize the recently signed Turkish-Libyan memorandum on delineation of maritime borders in the Mediterranean and described it as an example of double standards.
Earlier in the day, the European Council issued a statement in which it condemned the Turkish-Libyan memorandum on maritime delimitation in the Mediterranean as violating sovereign rights of third countries, namely Greece and Cyprus, and confirmed its full solidarity with the latter two.
"This decision of the European Council is yet another instance of Greece abusing the notion of EU solidarity as a pretext to promote its extreme nationalist theses that contradict international law and justice. The EU has no jurisdiction over maritime delineation, neither is it an international court to come up with assessments of a memorandum signed between Turkey and Libya," the statement read.
The Turkish ministry further described the EU's stance as "an example of double standards by which the EU has ignored the usurpation of the Libyan continental shelf by Greece."
"This will not make us give up on protecting the rights and interests of the Turkish Cypriots in the Mediterranean," the statement stressed.
On November 27, Turkey and the internationally recognized Libyan government signed a memorandum that set a new maritime border between them, which runs through a zone in the Mediterranean that Greece and Cyprus claim as theirs.
The memorandum appears to deepen the existing criticism of Turkey by Europe as Ankara continues its drilling activity in the Cyprus-claimed waters of the Mediterranean. The area in question is believed to be rich in hydrocarbon reserves, and Turkey and Cyprus both claim their right to drill for natural resources.
