Panagiotopoulos: Greece and Turkey do not agree on EEZ

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While speaking to NET public TV station earlier this week Defence Minister Panos Panagiotopoulos that Greece's and Turkey's opinions on the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) issue do not coincide, but he added that "this does not mean that we (Greece and Turkey) should not discuss or agree on other issues".

Regarding the declaration of an EEZ, Panagiotopoulos said that it is Greece's inalienable right, under international law. At the same time the minister revealed that during his talks with his Turkish counterpart Ismet Yilmaz in Costantinopole earlier in the week he put forward the issue of the violations of Greek national airspace and the infringement of the Athens FIR. He also said that he raised the issue of bizarre sailings' of Turkish vessels in the Aegean, underlining that they do not contribute, or do good, because they are indicative of intentions to dispute Greece's sovereign rights.