Unilateral maritime moves ‘bound to fail,’ foreign minister says

Greek Foreign Minister George Gerapetritis warned connected Thursday that immoderate unilateral effort to instrumentality maritime claims extracurricular the model of planetary instrumentality “is fundamentally bound to fail,” responding to reports that Turkey is preparing authorities linked to its so-called “Blue Homeland” doctrine.

Speaking connected Thursday astatine the Energy Transition Summit organized by the Financial Times and Kathimerini, Gerapetritis said measures should beryllium addressed done bilateral oregon multilateral processes, adding that, otherwise, they “are lone of home use and person nary planetary enforcement.”

He stressed that planetary law, including the UN Convention connected the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), indispensable prevail implicit “domestic intentions oregon visions,” noting that though Turkey has not ratified UNCLOS, its provisions signifier portion of customary planetary instrumentality and are binding connected each states.

Gerapetritis said Greece prefers “to enactment alternatively than react,” adding that Athens has aggregate diplomatic avenues done the European Union, the United Nations and bilateral channels to code immoderate disputes.

He emphasized that Greece has made “significant improvements” successful relations with Turkey implicit the past three years, citing a simplification successful Greek airspace violations and a crisp diminution successful irregular migrant arrivals. However, helium acknowledged that the delimitation of maritime zones, peculiarly the continental support and exclusive economical zones (EEZs), remains the halfway unresolved issue.

“It is my steadfast condemnation that, unless we solve this problem, there tin beryllium nary truly semipermanent and sustainable bid and prosperity,” helium said, while stressing the value of keeping connection channels unfastened with Ankara.

The curate besides highlighted Greece’s broader determination strategy, including efforts to support constructive relations with Libya and support the European way of the western Balkans. He described Greece arsenic a “bridge betwixt North and South, East and West,” while warning that the existent planetary information architecture has weakened amid increasing planetary instability.

He reiterated that Greece supports “building bridges alternatively of creating ruins” done multilateralism and adherence to planetary law.