The Greek Foreign Ministry responded to Ankara in a harsh tone claiming the agreement with Libya on the delimitation of maritime borders has no value, while calling on the neighbouring country to work with respect to international law. The tough response comes as Turkish President Erdogan insisted on his provocative stance saying the memorandum with Libya had become the official law of the Turkish state, despite mounting pressure and warnings from the international community.

The Turkish Foreign Ministry had issued an official statement claiming the islands had no influence on the designation of maritime zones beyond the zone designated by their territorial waters.

The new statement by the Greek Foreign Ministry states: “Under international law, the ‘memorandum’ signed by Mr Erdogan has no value.”

“It would be worthwhile for Turkey to finally stop the provocative actions and work, with respect to international law and good neighbourly rules, to advance relations between the peoples of the region,” the statement added.

Yesterday, the Greek Foreign Ministry had released a statement on the Turkey-Libya memorandum calling it “a gross violation of Greece’s rights and a deliberate provocation”.