Mon 02 October 2020:
It is “an effort in vain” for Greece to object to Turkey’s seismic research activities based on maximalist claims after every Navtex announcement, Turkish Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hami Aksoy said Sunday
“Our country will continue its activities in the region within its rights based on international law,” Aksoy said in a statement.
Inviting Greece to dialogue without preconditions, Aksoy urged Athens to avoid steps that would escalate tensions in the region and asked them to contribute to the creation of an appropriate environment for negotiations rather than blame Turkey for unfounded claims and complain to third parties.
“Turkey is ready to cooperate with Greece and solve the problems through dialogue,” he said.
Aksoy further stated that Turkey will continue to protect its and Turkish Cyprus’s legal rights and interests with determination.
A navigational telex, or Navtex, is a maritime communications system that allows ships to inform other vessels about their presence in an area as well as other information.
After Athens earlier this summer objected to Ankara’s seismic survey in an area south of the island of Kastellorizo, German diplomatic efforts helped defuse tensions between the two neighbors.
Greece’s controversial move to sign a maritime delimitation agreement with Egypt, which Turkey says violates its continental shelf and maritime rights, has exacerbated tensions between Athens and Ankara.
Declaring the Greek-Egyptian deal “null and void,” Turkey in August authorized the Oruç Reis to continue its activities in an area within Turkey’s continental shelf.
Ankara accuses Athens of pursuing maximalist policies in the Eastern Mediterranean and underlines that its maritime claims constituted a violation of Turkey’s sovereign rights.
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