Dendias: Montego Bay global legal model for Greece

“Most important for us is the International Law of the Sea, which stems from UNCLOS – the United Nations International Convention on the Law of the Sea – which we signed in Montego Bay. For us, Montego Bay is the place that really marks what we believe should be the global legal standard in matters concerning the delimitation of the seabed, the continental shelf and the EEZ” announced the Minister of Foreign Affairs Nikos Dendias during his meeting with the his Jamaican counterpart, Kamina Johnson Smith.

In the country’s capital Kingston, Nikos Dendias had a cordial meeting with the Jamaican foreign minister following their previous contacts on the sidelines of the 77th UN General Assembly in September 2022 in New York. During the meeting, they signed a memorandum on Political Consultations between the Greek – Jamaican Foreign Ministries. At the center of their meeting were the promotion of bilateral cooperation in investments, renewable energy sources, culture, tourism, and within international organizations, as well as joint adherence to the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, the 9th Conference ” Our Ocean Conference 2024″ to be held in Greece and EU-Jamaica relations.

During his stay in Jamaica, Nikos Dendias attended the twinning ceremony of the municipality of Sitia in Crete with Montego Bay, the city where the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea was signed in 1982. The ceremony was attended by the mayor of Sitia, Giorgos Zervakis and the mayor of Montego Bay, Leeroy Williams. In his statement after the meetings in Jamaica, Nikos Dendias made a special reference to the twinning of Montego Bay with Sitia. “It is extremely significant that Montego Bay, the city where UNCLOS, the United Nations International Convention on the Law of the Sea was signed, is twinned with Sitia. A Greek city at the edge of Crete, in a very strategic point where the precise application of the Law of the Sea acquires a national importance” he said characteristically and congratulated the mayor, the Municipal Council and the residents of Sitia “for this excellent choice».

Also, the Minister of Foreign Affairs met with the Legal Adviser of the International Seabed Authority (ISA), Mariana Durney. “We discussed issues of marine environment protection and women’s active participation in ISA. On behalf of the Greek government, I made an extraordinary donation to support the Authority’s actions” announced in a post on social media, Nikos Dendias. It is noted that the ISA was established pursuant to the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) and the 1994 Agreement. It consists of 167 member states and the European Union and is headquartered in Kingston, Jamaica.

With the visit to Jamaica, Nikos Dendias completed his five-day tour of six countries in South and Central America, which began on Monday in Brazil, continued in Uruguay, Argentina, Paraguay and Panama.

It is noted that Nikos Dendias made the first visit by a Greek foreign minister to Brazil, Uruguay, Argentina, Paraguay and Jamaica. During his tour of the six Central and South American countries, the talks focused on further strengthening Greece’s cooperation with the respective states in a wide range of fields, including political relations, economy, investment, defense, shipping, culture, environment, tourism. The 9th “Our Ocean Conference 2024” to be hosted by Greece was also on the agenda of his contacts, and the joint commitment to the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea was underlined.

During the tour, he signed with his counterparts memorandums of understanding for bilateral cooperation in various fields, such as cooperation in the field of Diplomatic Education and the establishment of a Political Consultation Mechanism of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. In addition, they also covered Greece’s cooperation with the countries in question and within international organizations, to address common challenges, based on adherence to International Law, including the International Law of the Sea, with Nikos Dendias simultaneously highlighting the role that can Greece play for the relations of the countries in question with the EU.

He also had the opportunity to meet with members of the Greek communities in South and Central America (Brazil, Uruguay, Argentina, Panama). Finally, the official acceptance of the request for the establishment of a Greek embassy in Panama was announced.

See the Foreign Minister’s post

I attended, in #Jamaicathe town twinning ceremony between Municipality of Sitia in Crete 🇬🇷 & #MontegoBay 🇯🇲, the city where #UNCLOS was signed in 1982. Sitia Mayor, Giorgos Zervakis, & Montego Bay Mayor, Leeroy Williams, also attended the ceremony. pic.twitter.com/CFAfEQtl0C

— Nikos Dendias (@NikosDendias) February 11, 2023

For 🇬🇷 Montego Bay, Jamaica, where we co-signed the UNCLOS (United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea) marks the global legal standard for the delimitation of the seabed, continental shelf & EEZ (Statement at the meeting with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs 🇯🇲 KJSmith). pic.twitter.com/Fb1leRBBZJ

— Nikos Dendias (@NikosDendias) February 11, 2023

RES-EMP

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