Μake us preferred on Google Greek diplomatic sources commented on Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan’s statement to SKAI about the NAVTEX today, the day the surveys were due to begin and one day after the NAVTEX “battle.”
“How Turkey handles matters internally is not our concern. Greece is the only licensing country. It did what it was required to do under international law and will continue to do so,” they made clear.
Hakan Fidan’s Statement
“Everything is normal, everything is fine,” the Turkish foreign minister said earlier, when asked by SKAI’s Istanbul correspondent about the surveys beginning with the departure of the French vessel Abeille Marengo in the Eastern Mediterranean, and about the preceding “battle” of Greek and Turkish NAVTEX that escalated tensions between the two countries.
At the same time, Turkish diplomatic sources say the problem that arose over the NAVTEX for the cable has been resolved.
It is worth noting that on Friday, Turkey’s Foreign Ministry had referred to a planned illegal marine scientific research activity by a French-flagged vessel on the continental shelf that Ankara considers its own.
It also claimed that the NAVTEX issued by Greece and the Republic of Cyprus had been canceled by Turkey, and said it remained determined to protect its rights, citing the international law of the sea.
The Turkish Foreign Ministry’s Statement
“It has been observed that a French-flagged vessel intends to carry out an illegal marine scientific research activity, aimed at laying cables without permission, on our continental shelf, the outer limits of which were notified to the United Nations on March 18, 2020.
“The unauthorized navigational warnings (NAVTEX) issued for this purpose by Greece and the Greek Cypriot Administration have been canceled by our country.
“In addition, the process of obtaining our country’s necessary consent, as required under the established provisions of the international law of the sea for any activity planned within the limits of our continental shelf, has not yet been completed.
“We remain fully determined to protect our sovereign rights, which derive from international law, and we will continue to support an approach in the region based on cooperation, dialogue and coordination.”
Athens’ Response
Commenting on the Turkish Foreign Ministry’s statement, Greek diplomatic sources stressed on Friday: “The work of the French research vessel VB Abeille Marengo will proceed according to the company’s operational schedule, in Greek and Cypriot territorial waters and in areas of the Greek and Cypriot continental shelf. The international law of the sea is clear and leaves no room for different interpretations.”
Meanwhile, the French research vessel that will carry out the surveys for the Greece-Cyprus electricity interconnection (GSI) is preparing to sail from Heraklion following the issuance of the Greek NAVTEX.
The cable’s route crosses the illegal Turkish-Libyan memorandum and essentially passes through areas claimed by Ankara. The research vessel appears ready and is preparing to sail, probably on Monday.
According to Deputy Prime Minister Kostis Hatzidakis, the company carrying out the electricity interconnection between the two countries requested permission exclusively from Greece and Cyprus. He argued that Turkey’s issuance of a counter-NAVTEX disproves reports that Athens has made Ankara the arbiter of the project.
