For an important day for Greece, as the Minister of Foreign Affairs, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, spoke on a map for the first time. George Gerapetritisspeaking in SKAI’s newsletter and Sia Kosionis for him Marine spatial planning.

Asked why now and the importance of movement, Mr Gerapetritis said that “this is a vital text for Greece and the Greek national interests because it determines the anthropogenic activity in the maritime space, that is, the human actions are identified on the other.”

As for Turkey’s reactionthe Foreign Minister noted that “there is a different starting point, Greece exercises its rights to serve its national interest based solely on international law. On the other hand, Turkey has its own perception. The reaction was expected as Turkey’s positions are known, “while asking whether there was consultation he said that” it was known that there was a European Court of Justice on the basis of which Greece should have issued maritime spatial planning until April 27 “.

Subsequently, Mr Gerapetritis stressed that “I would like to emphasize that if at the moment we have two different versions, one Greek and one Turkish, there is a way that could resolve it, and this is the path of the co -exist to resolve this difference in defining the EEZ and this is always the case.”

At the same time, he underlined that “Greece is raising and increasing its diplomatic footprint. For the first time, the distant boundaries of the Greek continental shelf are recorded on a map, of course, on the basis of international law, which imposes an EEZ define to have an agreement between states with coasts next to or opposite. ”

“It is very important that in the context of the European acquis, in the context of European law, Greece records its maximum potential in maritime zones and this is now the Greek position on the issues of marine zones,” he added.

Responding to the criticism of delay, Mr Gerapetritis said that “I have heard the opposition to confuse the government on the issue of delay. I would expect a smaller petty bruise on this issue. We have to realize that Greece is not an enclosed country, it has the largest coastline in the EU, has 8.5 thousand islands, which makes it extremely complex to exercise marine spatial planning. But there is also something, there have been the two major agreements brought by the government with Egypt and Italy, which should now be transferred to the map. Today’s day was chosen primarily because today the Minutes of the Council of State has been issued today with which the Greek -Italian agreement is essentially incorporated into the Greek legal order, and for this reason it could not be earlier. “

“I want to say something important. When the ND government has brought the Hellenic Egyptian Agreement since 2019, the Greek -Italian, a series of strategic agreements, it grew Greece’s boundaries with 12 nautical miles of territorial waters to Cape Tainaro, I would expect more meditation. Because even today, Greece is taking care to defend its national interests in the field, bringing giant energy where there are disputes from other states or today with its marine spatial planning. “

Asked about the criticism of the government’s foreign policy and those voices who speak of concessions in the Aegean, such as that of Antonis Samaras, the Foreign Minister noted that “I was clear. The government has done things over the last five years that no government of the opposition has made with major strategic agreements, EEZ agreements, with spatial waters expanding, today with marine spatial planning. All this without any concession. Greece’s diplomatic footprint, a country in the hard core of the European Union, a member of the Security Council is today larger than ever. “

Concerning the issue of cables and if the delay is related to the announcement, Mr Gerapetritis explained that “the issues are not interconnected. It is obvious that at the scale level, marine spatial planning is a long -term venture, a great effort that expands our diplomatic footprint. The project of the Greece-Cyprus electric interconnection is also important, it is a project of common interest, it is a project that will continue at the right time selected and based on the planning of the contractor. “

“There is no background, there is only the right timing. I would like to emphasize that for us it is a very great day, Greece for the first time has maps, which actually express the potential EEZ, the potential continental shelf that is of great value. All the ongoing projects will continue normally and will always be done in the national interest. The fact that we are and discussing with Turkey is even recorded in the announcement of the Turkish Foreign Ministry, is our desire to continue dialogue so as not to cause crises, this does not mean that there will be a retreat. For us the national interest is a one -way street. There is no hesitation, Greece is not heterogeneous, “the foreign minister said.