Ankara on Friday responded to yesterday's verbale note submitted by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs at the United Nations in order to ensure that the unilateral action on the part of Ankara of licensing research by the Turkish state oil company TPAO even in areas of the Greek continental shelf, will not create a fait accompli case. The move, as reported by HellasFrappe on Thursday, is in the framework of ensuring that the limits of Greece's continental shelf, which coincide with those of its EEZ, will not be undermined by Turkey which in a couple of weeks is planning to conduct seismic surveys for hydrocarbon deposits within Greece's continental shelf. Turkey, which never expected this move, was certainly taken by surprise, but judging from the statement that was released on Friday from its Foreign Ministry it looks like Ankara plans on escalating the tension in the Eastern Mediterranean.
"It has been learned that Greece has registered its views at the United Nations (UN) concerning the Greek continental shelf in the context of the permits granted by Turkey to the Turkish Petroleum Corporation (TPAO) in our continental shelf in the Eastern Mediterranean. The said claims of Greece have no basis in international law.So in a few short words, Turkey is basically saying that Kastelorizo and all the islands east of Karpathos are within the Turkish Continental Shelf! Ankara's aspirations are probably best depicted in the map that is published at the top of this article. If you look at the picture closely you will notice that it shows how Turkey has literally swallowed, or rather how it wants to swallow, all the areas east of Karpathos and Rhodes!
As a matter of fact, Greece has expressed such claims through its demarches at bilateral level, and Turkey has given necessary responses to them. This time, Turkey will take the reciprocal steps also at the UN.
The permits granted by Turkey to TPAO since 2007 remain within the limits of the Turkish continental shelf in the Eastern Mediterranean and Turkey possesses sovereign rights for exploration and extraction of the natural resources in these areas. Turkey will continue to use its rights emanating from international law.
While necessary steps will be taken for the protection of our sovereign rights, our policy of continuing to develop our relations with Greece and of utilizing the channels of dialogue established to solve the existing problems will be maintained.
Molon Lave
Article in Greek and photo - Defencenet
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