Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said on Thursday that the maritime agreement recently signed between the Parliament of Eastern Libya and Turkey was « manifestly illegal, null and void, » adding that it « absolutely did not take geography into account ».
Speaking to Reuters as Greece finishes its presidency of the UN Security Council, Mr. Mitsotakis also called for an urgent « international truce » to protect Black Sea shipping after the sinking on Wednesday of a tanker belonging to a Greek shipowner.
The Parliament of eastern Libya approved last week an agreement on maritime borders with Turkey, provoking the condemnation of Athens, but also of Egypt, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates, which see it as a threat to regional security and international legal order.
« This is totally disregarding the geography, the reality of the existence of the Greek islands – they seem to disappear completely in the logic of Turkey and Libya, » said Mitsotakis, accusing them of trying to create a « fait accompli » that ignores the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.
Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said that the reactions of the EU and other actors to the approval of the agreement, initially concluded in 2019, had no legitimate basis, thus defending Ankara’s policy in the Eastern Mediterranean.
Since the 2019 agreement between Libya and Turkey, Greece has licensed a consortium led by Chevron
CVX.N to prospect for gas off the island of Crete and sought to conclude a separate agreement with Libya on the delimitation of their maritime areas.
Mr. Mitsotakis assured that « there is no risk that these explorations will be challenged in any way ».
Calling Libya and Greece « natural neighbours », Mitsotakis, who took the post of Prime Minister in 2019 and is currently beginning his second term, urged the African country to negotiate directly with Athens and take these discussions « very, very seriously ».
ATTACKS ON SHIPS IN THE BLACK SEA
Mr. Mitsotakis, 58, spoke to Reuters after chairing a Council debate on maritime safety, just hours after the sinking of a Greek tanker hit by naval drones off the coast of Bulgaria, during the latest attack on ships in the west of the Black Sea this month.
The ships operated by Greece are among the largest oil tanker fleets in the world and play a central role in the trade of the Black Sea region, whose waters are shared by Bulgaria, Georgia, Romania and Turkey, as well as Russia and Ukraine, in conflict, the latter having been invaded by Moscow in February 2022.
« We need some kind of international truce on freedom of navigation, » said Mitsotakis, adding that it was « of the highest priority » to allow the export of grain from the region to the rest of the world via the Black Sea.
« Greek shipowners would be the first to resume their commercial activities in the Black Sea, including from Ukraine, provided that a safe passage is guaranteed, » he said, highlighting the increase in shipping costs, the charter and insurance costs having « reached highs ».
It was immediately unknown who was behind this attack, which aggravated growing concerns about the impact of Russia’s war in Ukraine on commercial shipping in the region.
Mr. Mitsotakis said that Ukraine was financially dependent on exports of its products: « They had an exceptional harvest, but cereals are now stored in silos, where they risk rotting. »
« Unfortunately, for the moment, Russia does not seem willing to engage in a substantive discussion, » he added.
RED SEA SECURITY, RUSSIA
Mr. Mitsotakis also called on the European Union to strengthen its naval mission to protect navigation in the Red Sea, called « Aspides », launched in 2024 to protect ships against attacks by Yemeni Houthis, aligned with Iran.
The intensification of hostilities between the Houthis and Saudi Arabia disrupted oil supplies and increased the risk of a larger regional conflict, eight months after the U.S.-Israeli strikes against Iran.
« My argument is simple: the European Union has an interest in ensuring a concrete presence, with tangible military means, in this part of the world, and we need more countries to participate in Aspides, » Mitsotakis told Reuters.
He said that Greece, Italy and France had deployed « means » as part of this mission, but that this was « clearly insufficient ». Diplomats told Reuters that at the end of September, six warships were participating in the operation.
The Houthis said this week that they attacked Saudi military aircraft and repelled an advance of Saudi-backed forces near the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, an important Red Sea shipping route.
« If we really want to send the message to the Gulf countries that we take their security seriously, but that we also protect vital arteries and waterways that are absolutely essential for European trade, we should be ready to deploy more resources in this part of the world, » said Mitsotakis.
Asked about the decision taken at the beginning of the month by US President Donald Trump to lift sanctions on Russian diesel exports, Mr. Mitsotakis reaffirmed Greece’s support for sanctions against Moscow.
« We believe that we must exert economic pressure and inflict more financial difficulties on Russia in order to send a very clear signal: as long as it prolongs this war, it will suffer very precise economic consequences, » he said.
