Greece Rejects Libya's Claims on Maritime Boundaries

Greece has rejected Libya's claims regarding maritime boundary delimitation, submitting a diplomatic note to the UN. The note responds to a previous Libyan note of June 20 and rejects claims of violating Libyan sovereign rights through the licensing of plots south of Crete.

Athens also responds to Libya's attempt to unilaterally draw the median line, which covers the entire Greek EEZ. Simultaneously, a diplomatic note was also delivered to Tripoli, calling on the Libyan side to begin a dialogue on the delimitation of maritime zones. The Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Alexandra Papadopoulou, was appointed head of the Greek negotiating team.

In its response diplomatic note, Greece emphasizes that the maritime plots are within the Greek continental shelf/EEZ and under Greek jurisdiction, in accordance with the Law of the Sea. Libya's claims as expressed in its note of June 20 are also rejected.

Athens also refers to the Turkish-Libyan Memorandum, pointing out that it ignores the existence of Greek islands such as Crete and the Dodecanese, and violates their right to generate maritime zones. Greece reaffirms its position on the median line as the basis for the delimitation of maritime zones.