The first step in a procedure, painful and doubtful ending was made yesterday with the start of the delimitation talks EEZ between Greece and Libyaat the meeting in Athens of the two countries’ foreign ministers, George Gerapetritis and Taigher Salem al -Baur.
According to the statement by the Foreign Ministry’s spokesman, Lana“The two ministers declared the start of the process for the demarcation of the exclusive economic zone between Greece and Libya. In this context, the first meeting of the Technical Committees was held. The next meeting was agreed to take place in Tripoli. “
From this first meetingof course, the head of the Greek negotiating team, Deputy Foreign Minister was absent Alexandra Papadopoulouwhich arrived in Washington yesterday, but it was thought that there was no reason to delay the start of the process. From the Greek side, the Political Director of the Foreign Minister, Ambassador, participated A. toastthe Director of the A6 Department of the Foreign Ministry, F. Georgakakisand two members of the Special Legal Service, the Alexandros Koliopoulosand the Alice Ghana.
After the initial meeting of the two delegations, the two ministers had a private meeting and at the same time the first meeting of the two negotiating teams, which lasted more than an hour. Talks followed by the expanded delegations.
In accordance with CoastGeorge Gerapetritis emphasized the need to respect international law, including the law of the sea, and reiterated the Greek and European position in terms of invalid and non -existent. turquoise.
The meeting of the two technical teams reportedly was exploratory in order to find out where the positions of the two sides were moving and whether there have been changes to what had been recorded in the latest talks of the 2010–2011 period. Of course, everything has changed since then, with the top change from the signature from Tripoli of the Turkish Memorandum.
Benghazi
An still serious issue is how to get involved and the Benghazi in this dialogue, as the sidewarm does not recognize the Governmentnor does he consider it to be bound by the agreements he has signed. To date, the challenge of the Turkish -tired Memorandum by Eastern Libya has been based on the one hand, on the one hand, on the one hand, on the one hand, on the one hand, on the one hand, the non -legalization of the provisional government to sign such content.
However, this may change, both because of the pressures exerted by the Turkey to Benghazi, as well as because of the intention of the Haftar side that it does not appear in this critical juncture as “retreating” against Greece.
The positions of Athens and Tripoli
The Greek side, at the start of the process, considers it as a non -negotiable principle that the debate on the demarcation will concern the entire EEZ of the two countries and will therefore extend to the region covering the Turkish Memorandum. After all, if there is no agreement, the aim of the Greek side is the difference – which includes the Turkish Memorandum – to be referred as a whole to the jurisdiction of the International Court of Justice in The Hague, in order to rule on the legality of the Memorandum.
On the other hand, Libya considers that the Greek -line performances in this process should be lifted by the decline of the average line under Law 4001/2011.
Both Athens and Tripoli have also submitted publicly, their diametrically opposed positions on the delimitation issue, through letters submitted to the UN since 2019.and especially in the last trimester, which is found to be the arbitrary interpretation of the Libyan Law on the Libyan side that follows Turkish arguments, despite the fact that Libya, unlike Turkey, has signed the Treaty on the Law of the Sea.
Libyan Foreign Minister has reportedly showed a special study of the start of talks, and this is the result of both the pressure that Greece has exerted on the design and licensing of the plots west, southwest and south of Crete, as well as the efforts of Tripoli to appear in the EU, but also to the EU. Libya because of its participation in the UN Security Council.