In a determination aimed astatine avoiding surprises and third-party initiatives connected the Eastern Mediterranean and highlighting Greece’s steadfast presumption connected resolving disputes done dialogue, Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis announced from the level of the Parliament the revival of an aged connection to make a forum of the Eastern Mediterranean countries to code issues ranging from migration and the situation to demarcation.
“Greece seeks knowing with each our neighbours, I repeat, with each our neighbours, with the regularisation of instrumentality and, successful particular, the Law of the Sea arsenic our compass. And it is our intention, successful the coming period, to invitation each the coastal states to a associated meeting, to a forum wherever we volition beryllium capable to analyse unneurotic each our concerns. Greece has perfectly thing to fearfulness from sitting astatine the array with anyone to support its positions, ever with the Law of the Sea arsenic a notation point,” the premier curate said connected Thursday, during a statement successful Parliament on foreign policy.
Diplomatic sources clarified that the format would see Greece, Cyprus, Turkey, Egypt and Libya with 5 themes: migration, extortion of the marine environment, connectivity, maritime zoning and civilian protection. The Greek Foreign Ministry “will undertake to research the anticipation and prospects of specified a format and to what grade it could get imperishable features.”
The thought for an Eastern Mediterranean Conference was primitively enactment guardant by Rep. Tayyip Erdogan, who acceptable the conference’s nonsubjective arsenic “fair sharing of the wealthiness of the Eastern Mediterranean”. In 2020, the President of the European Council, Charles Michel, soon aft the incidental and situation caused by Turkey sending the Oruc Reis disconnected the Castelores, reiterated this proposal, giving it a European “mantle”.
In fact, successful September 2020, Michel, aft having a circular of contacts with the Greek government, which agreed with his proposal, arsenic good arsenic with Cyprus, Malta, past Chancellor Merkel, President Macron, and President Sisi, contacted President Erdogan by telephone to contiguous this proposal. Since then, determination has been nary follow-up, though Tayyip Erdogan himself often refers to his archetypal proposal.
The reasons wherefore specified a league has truthful acold remained connected insubstantial are evident and subordinate to: who volition participate, what the model and scope volition be, and the question of the binding quality of the statement and timelines.
Turkey, from the precise archetypal moment, has been demanding that the Republic of Cyprus beryllium excluded from this Conference – thing that evidently cannot beryllium accepted. Cyprus is an autarkic EU subordinate state, which cannot beryllium “wiped disconnected the map”, particularly erstwhile it has concluded astir of the delimitation agreements successful the region, but besides for applicable reasons, arsenic without Cyprus determination tin beryllium nary delimitations successful the Eastern Mediterranean.
Equally unacceptable is the Turkish request that the Pseudo-state should besides participate, if the Republic of Cyprus is invited, arsenic this would represent designation of the Pseudo-state and astatine the aforesaid clip would springiness legitimacy to the amerciable “delimitation agreement” signed by Turkey with the occupying regime, arsenic good arsenic to the amerciable demarcation of onshore adjacent southbound of the island, which the Pseudo-state has “ceded” to the Turkish institution TRAO.
Apart from this, specified a league could not beryllium convened without a wide committedness by each not lone to planetary instrumentality successful general, but besides to the Law of the Sea, which is simply a “red flag” for Ankara, which insists that, arsenic it is not a enactment to the treaty, it is not bound by it nor does it judge its provisions which are present customary law.
Moreover, arsenic agelong arsenic the governmental impasse successful Libya continues, it is wide that the state cannot beryllium reliably represented by either Eastern oregon Western Libya alone. At the aforesaid time, a occupation volition originate if the information of the Palestinian Authority arsenic a typical of the Palestinian State, which has already been recognized by Turkey, Egypt, and Libya, is supported.
Once the important question of who volition enactment successful this Conference is resolved, the besides delicate contented is successful what signifier and nether what conditions of bindingness the bound talks volition beryllium held, and which of the existing agreements and arrangements volition beryllium considered acceptable. And of course, whether astatine the extremity of the roadworthy determination volition beryllium proviso – successful the lack of statement – for referral to an planetary mechanics specified arsenic the Hague Tribunal.
In immoderate case, the scenarios that specified a mechanics could assistance circumvent the problems that arise, specified arsenic those regarding the investigations into the laying of the Cyprus-Crete transportation cable, are alternatively unrealistic, arsenic the workout of powers, specified arsenic the issuance of NAVTEX, does not beryllium to a “group” of states oregon a forum of states, but to each authorities individually, for its country of competence.
Turkey disputes the full model of the demarcation agreements betwixt Cyprus and Israel and Egypt, and Greece and Egypt, portion alternatively supporting the legitimacy of the Turkish-Cypriot memorandum, which Greece, Egypt, Cyprus, Israel, and Syria (pre-Assad) person renounced.
Given these facts, it is not wide however a Conference connected the Eastern Mediterranean could supply a mode retired of the impasse that has been the stumbling artifact for 5 decades successful efforts to scope a delimitation with Turkey.
Of course, the timing of raising the contented for the Conference of the Eastern Mediterranean littoral countries is not coincidental.
Athens has each crushed to show, successful Brussels and particularly successful Washington, that it is not the 1 that pushes the “button” of hostility successful the Mediterranean, but, connected the contrary, the 1 that seeks consensual solutions based connected dialog and the Law of the Sea. Nor is it trying to exclude Turkey, arsenic Ankara often says, referring to an effort to make an “anti-Turkish bloc”.
Indeed, arsenic U.S. diplomacy and President Trump’s idiosyncratic envoys person focused connected the portion due to the fact that of their engagement successful the Gaza ceasefire, Athens is seeking to registry this willingness to resoluteness problems and outstanding issues.
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