Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Evangelos expressed his dissapointment on Tuesday at the new Turkish NAVTEX for the vessel “Barbaros.”

More specifically, he said that “Turkey, in a NAVTEX, announced the decision it has taken to continue, through the activities of the vessel “Barbaros”, the flagrant violation of international law and blatant violation of the sovereign rights of the Republic of Cyprus; that is, the sovereign rights of a member state of the European Union.”

“This stance directly undermines the potential for reopening of the dialogue in Cyprus,” Mr. Venizelos underlined, adding that “instead of efforts towards de-escalation, we once again see tension being created in a region that is very close to the hotspots of all the pending crises in the Middle East and North Africa.”

“Greece is moving in complete coordination with the Republic of Cyprus, guided by respect for international law, for the existence and sovereignty of Cyprus, and for the prospect for dialogue, which presupposes the acceptance of the framework of the European acquis,” the deputy PM concluded.