Greece: Turkey’s bid to legitimize territory claims is wrong

NICOSIA

Turkey’s efforts to legitimize “illegal” claims on Greek sovereign territory are doomed to fail because they’re contrary to international law, Greece’s foreign minister said on May 7.

Foreign Minister Nikos Kotzias said Turkey has submitted a document to the United Nations containing “erroneous positions” regarding Greek territory in the Aegean and the eastern Mediterranean and is trying to present such claims as lawful, the Associated Press reported.

But Kotzias said on May 7 after talks with Greek Cypriot counterpart Nikos Christodoulides that international law cannot be manipulated to suit such schemes.

Turkey disputes Greece’s ownership of a number of uninhabited islands in the eastern Aegean and eastern Mediterranean, and says Greece’s efforts to conduct an offshore gas search falls within its own continental shelf.

Christodoulides said Cyprus’ gas search fully abides by international law.