President of the Hellenic Republic Prokopis Pavlopoulos described Turkey’s attempted drilling in Cyprus’ EEZ as a direct and severe violation of the international law.
Speaking during a meeting he held today with a delegation of the American Hellenic Institute, President Pavlopoulos stressed that Turkey’s illegal actions in Cyprus’ EEZ violate the Law of the Sea, which is codified in the Montego Bay Convention signed in 1982.
He noted that the Convention of Montego Bay constitutes a legally binding text for Turkey, despite the fact that the country has not signed it. “The Convention of Montego Bay has been signed by a large number of countries, and as such it introduces generally recognized international law regulations, which are binding for all”, he underlined.
He welcomed the statements made by the EU and the US State Department regarding Turkey’s actions, and noted that “Turkey will have to face the reactions of the international community and the European Union, as Cyprus is inextricably linked to the international community and to the EU and constitutes part of the Eurozone”.
