AKEL on the agreement for the delimitation of the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) between Greece and Egypt
AKEL C.C. Press Office, 7th August 2020, Nicosia
Subject to further information before AKEL expresses a more comprehensive position on the agreement for the delimitation of the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) between Greece and Egypt, we stress that this constitutes an exercise of the sovereign right of the two states, given that the distances between the two countries render such a delimitation imperative.
This is a partial demarcation which does not directly affect Cyprus. It affects, however, the illogical Turkey-Libya agreement where Turkey ignored the fact that it has opposite coasts with Egypt and that Greek islands are interposed. Consequently, it should not threaten now with a further escalation of tension, but should be led to draw the correct conclusions.
The lesson to be drawn from the developments is that the only available way forward for a comprehensive settlement of the delimitation issue is through dialogue between all the affected states. And if this dialogue does not arrive at a conclusion within a reasonable period of time, then they should proceed jointly to appeal to the International Court of Justice.
