Greece sent a letter to UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres where it completely deconstructs Turkey’s unilateral and unsubstantiated objections to the Aegean islands’ status, according to Greek diplomatic sources.
It is recalled that on September 30, Turkey had sent a letter to the UN in an attempt to make a case for the demilitarization of the Greek islands. Now, Foreign Minister Themistoklis Demiris has sent Antonio Guterres the position of the Greek side.
According to reports, the letter emphasizes that the Turkish allegations are a new development that seriously undermines regional peace and stability.
The Turkish claims that Greek sovereignty over the islands of the eastern Aegean is dependent on their demilitarization are characterized as “legally, historically and factually unsupported”.
Athens emphasizes that all islands have full rights in all maritime zones without the slightest legal dispute.
It cites two legal cases before the International Court of Justice in The Hague, one between Cambodia and Thailand and the other between Libya and Chad.
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The letter also stressed that it reaffirmed Turkey’s persistent practice of raising issues that have no legal basis, “a practice that adds to the instability that this country causes with its actions”.
It is recalled that in recent days Ankara has escalated the tension towards Athens, both in terms of rhetoric and its moves. Yesterday, a small Turkish research vessel sailed in the middle of the Aegean to start research activities between Lesvos, Chios and Lemnos, after the issue of a relevant NAVTEX.
At the same time, on Tuesday night, two Turkish F-16s flew over the small islands of Oinousses and Panagia.
It was preceded by Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s personal attack on Kyriakos Mitsotakis, with the Turkish president angrily declaring that he was cutting off all contact with the Greek prime minister, as he “no longer exists” for him.
