By Penelope Galliou
Oriented steadily on the road to international legitimacy and committed to the principles of International Law and the principles of good neighborliness, Athens insists on responds institutionally and in a coordinated manner to the derailment of Turkey and escalating provocation. Along with the readiness at the operational level and the continuous upgrading of the country’s Armed Forces and its international alliances, Greece maintains that it “seeks cooperation with all its neighbors on the basis of international law but at the same time is determined to protect its sovereignty.” and its sovereign rights “. This context is also reflected in letter sent to the UN which deconstructs all Turkish absurdity against Greece and responds on the basis of International Law, the Law of the Sea and the Treaties to all the non-existent statements made by the Turkish side from time to time, focusing on Ankara’s distorted and baseless accusations on the obligation to demilitarize the Greek islands but also on the intensifying Turkish overflights and violations. However, a letter that, before its ink dried, provoked the new delusion of Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt ÇavuÅŸoλουlu, who again threatened the demilitarization of the Greek islands, warning that Turkey was not bluffing. In the same inflammatory atmosphere followed the National Security Council of Turkey where under the chairmanship of Tayyip Erdogan he did the black and white again and reversing the reality he turned against Greece accusing it of violating international law and causing tensions!
The letter that rekindled the Turkish rage
The Greek letter to the UN step by step deconstructs the Turkish allegations as a whole, all the allegations of the Turkish side, as they are legally, historically and factually unfounded.
Specifically rejected the whole of Turkish argumentation regarding the “interconnection” of the Greek sovereignty of the islands and the adjacent islands of the Aegean with the alleged obligation of demilitarization and it is emphasized that this interconnection is a clear violation of both the letter and the spirit of the Treaty of Lausanne of 1923 and the Treaty of Paris 1947, which establish permanent borders and territorial rights in the countries mentioned, without any other terms or obligations.
It is also emphasized that according to international law, when states conclude a treaty defining borders or territorial sovereignty, their main purpose is to achieve stability and finality. For this reason, when a treaty defines a border or a definitive territorial settlement, that settlement is a real event in itself, which no longer depends on the treaty.
It is made clear that the definition of a border is an autonomous reality and creates permanence.
At the same time, it is noted that these islands, in accordance with the relevant provisions of the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (Article 121 (2), have rights to territorial waters, an exclusive economic zone and a continental shelf.
Particular reference to the Organization is made in the escalation of Turkey’s aggression, invoking the casus belli, as well as the parking against the Aegean islands, a large number of military forces. It is pointed out, the delinquent behavior of Turkey with particularly threatening actions, both with the overflights of Greek territory, as well as with the harassment of Navy ships and research vessels.
The letter concludes by saying that Greece is inviting Turkey to stop challenging sovereignty over the Aegean islands, to refrain from the threat of use of force, thus violating Article 2 (4) of the UN Charter, and to stop carrying out illegal actions, which violate the sovereignty and sovereign rights of Greece in the Aegean and in the Eastern Mediterranean.
Greece is relentless in defending its sovereign rights
A message to Ankara was sent again yesterday by the government spokesman stating that
“The Government, with calmness and determination, has faced and will continue to face all the challenges facing our sovereign rights, Greek sovereignty and international law. We know that we can be very effective in all fields and at all levels and The rest of the world knows and understands that, given these data, the Government, Greece is a factor of peace, stability, security and calm in this part of Europe, which is extremely important for both NATO and our region. “Always in the international environment of instability that we live and are experiencing now, because of the war in Ukraine,” he stressed. Mr. Oikonomou reminded that “We are always in the mood to speak and we will always talk. This, however, does not mean discounts in the obvious. Greece was, is and will remain uncompromising in the defense of its sovereign rights and international law. “This is the reality and this is the environment in which we have always talked and we will always talk to our neighbors.”
A message of readiness for any eventuality was sent to Ankara by Minister of Shipping and Island Policy Giannis Plakiotakis “We have nothing to fear, our country has taken all the initiatives both at the operational level and in the reinforcement of human resources”, referring to the possibility that Turkey will seek a repeat of the hybrid attack on Evros in 2020 by instrumentalizing it. immigrant. He added that “Turkey’s rhetoric and actions have gone beyond any sense of logic and any sense of international law. We will not follow this path. Greece under international law will continue to defend its national sovereign rights and it protects, as it has been doing for the last 2 years, with particular effectiveness, its maritime borders “he clarified.
Tsavousoglou’s new derailment and the announcement of the National Security Council
Athens’ moves and determination, however irritated Mevlüt ÇavuÅŸoλουlu the most who launched new threats against Greece, distorting reality and falsifying history itself, claiming that “It is contrary to international law for Greece to violate the status of the islands given to it conditionally in the framework of the 1923 Lausanne peace agreements.” and Paris of 1947 “. He did not, however, state that Turkey is not a party to the Treaty of Paris and therefore cannot rely on it.
In the same “paranoid” tone and National Security Council of Turkey which also could not hide its dissatisfaction with Greek-American relations and after its completion, under the presidency of Tayyip Erdogan, issued a statement which, as expected, is directed against Greece.
Non-existent and making white black states how “The Security Council examined the escalating provocative actions of Greece in the Aegean, which violate international law and the treaties to which it is a party (a hint for the demilitarization of the islands), as well as the efforts of Greece to abuse the alliances of which it is a member. and in which it should actually cooperate “. We have clarified, he added, “how we will continue to resolutely defend the rights and interests of our nation.”
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