Erdogan Says New Egypt-Greece Maritime Agreement Illegitimate

Erdogan Says New Egypt-Greece Maritime Agreement Illegitimate

A new maritime agreement between Egypt and Greece is illegitimate, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Friday during a public address, adding that Ankara would continue adhering to its own maritime deal with Libya's Tripoli-based government

MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 07th August, 2020) A new maritime agreement between Egypt and Greece is illegitimate, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Friday during a public address, adding that Ankara would continue adhering to its own maritime deal with Libya's Tripoli-based government.

On Thursday, Greece and Egypt signed the deal on an exclusive economic zone (EEZ) in the eastern Mediterranean that would set sea boundaries between the two counters and demarcate an area for oil and gas drilling rights. The Turkish Foreign Ministry denounced the deal, arguing that Cairo and Athens share no mutual sea border and that the proposed EEZ is located on the Turkish continental shelf.

"Turkey will continue to uphold Libya Eastern Mediterranean agreement ... New Greek-Egyptian 'exclusive' maritime economic zone deal 'worthless,'" Erdogan said, as quoted by the TRT World broadcaster.

Turkey also claimed that the new Egypt-Greece deal would violate Libya's maritime rights. The new deal between Cairo and Athens comes less than a year after Turkey and Libya's Government of National Accords (GNA) signed a similar agreement that has been condemned by Greece, Egypt, Cyprus and the GNA-rival Tobruk-based House of Representatives.