Regarding the unavoidable scenario of the Turkish drilling rig moving south of Crete, at the point where the illegal Turkish-Libyan pact has been made, he stressed that, if this happens, it will be 100% illegal.
“The drilling rig has currently started tests at sea and is preparing to go somewhere we have not been told where,” said Evangelos Apostolakis for “Abdulhamit Khan”, expressing the opinion that Erdogan will try to cause tension in the Cypriot EEZ.
Speaking to ERT, the honorary head of GEETHA, admiral e.a. and former acting Minister of National Defense emphasized that Greece is waiting to see what direction it will take 7th generation Turkish drilling rig.
Regarding the version Navtex and the course that “Abdulhamit Khan” will follow, Mr. Apostolakis clarified that Navtex should be issued for the area where the drilling rig will be active.
“If the Turks want to do Navtex for their own reasons, they will do it. Then, the state that will issue it should have the competence. If it is to obtain drilling of the seabed, then things are different”, said Mr. Apostolakis.
Asked about whether the “Abdulhamit Khan” should be accompanied by Turkish frigates, Mr. Apostolakis said that the Greek Armed Forces should be ready, as it is almost certain that the drilling rig will be accompanied by warships.
“The question is where (the ship) will go and what Erdogan wants to cause,” said Mr. Apostolakis, estimating that the Turkish president will attempt to create a crisis similar to 2020 or even more intense.
“Here we are talking about a drill that will drill the bottom” he added. And as he said, every action of the research vessel that will take place within Turkish waters will be legal.
Commenting on the statements of Ibrahim Kalin, who claimed that the Turks got permission from the “Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus”, Mr. Apostolakis said that he fears that he threatens the Cypriot EEZ.
“It threatens Cyprus, a sovereign state that has defined an EEZ with its neighboring states. Turkey does not agree and from time to time tries to create problems”, said Mr. Apostolakis.
Regarding the unavoidable scenario of the Turkish drilling rig moving south of Crete, at the point where the illegal Turkish-Libyan pact has been made, he stressed that, if this happens, it will be 100% illegal.
“That area is covered in a part of the EEZ that we have agreed with Egypt. It’s clear. The legal EEZ is the one defined by Greece and Egypt and has also been submitted to the UN. The memorandum between Turkey and Libya is illegal,” said the honorary head of the GEETHA.
“Erdogan sees his value in the geopolitical scene as rising because of the role he has played in the negotiations with Ukraine and because of the great importance NATO has acquired since the Russian invasion. He considers, given that no one wants Turkey to leave the arms of the West and go to Russia, that too many things are forgiven him”, assessed Mr. Apostolakis. At this point he asked whether the defense agreements we have signed with our allies will be valid.
“If Erdogan commits a flagrant violation of the Law, the European Union and the states with which we have signed defense agreements should do something to stop it,” he concluded, expressing the opinion that “Erdogan will act within the limits of legality.” .
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