Greece urges Turkey to abide to int'l law

Source: Xinhua    2018-04-18 23:15:27

ATHENS, April 18 (Xinhua) -- Greek President Prokopis Pavlopoulos as well as the Greek Foreign Ministry on Wednesday urged Turkey to abide to international law and refrain from "absurd claims" in response to the latest announcement by the Turkish Foreign Ministry regarding sovereignty over the Imia/Kardak islets in the Aegean Sea.

"We always want to have good relations. We favor Turkey's European perspective, but this requires respect of the European Union and Greece's borders, and we are not willing to make concessions," Pavlopoulos said while welcoming Estonian Defense Minister Juri Luik at the Presidential Mansion in Athens.

Europeans are prepared to protect these borders which are clearly defined by international law, the Greek President stressed, according to Greek national news agency AMNA.

The Greek leader's remark came following a Turkish Foreign Ministry announcement that claimed that "the Kardak islets (Imia for Greece), their territorial waters and their air space are under Turkish sovereignty."

In 1996, the two neighboring NATO members came to the brink of war over a sovereignty dispute of Imia/Kardak islets, while in recent months tensions have increased again over a series of issues.

Ankara's statement was made after the release on Tuesday of the European Commission's 2018 Turkey Country Report and the Enlargement Strategy Paper.

"While the European Union calls on Turkey to respect European law, Turkey responds with an announcement that provocatively violates it. It reiterates a flagrantly illegal stance, ignoring the fact that the legal status of the Aegean is fully enshrined in international law," said an e-mailed Greek Foreign Ministry announcement Wednesday.

Greek sovereignty over Imia is clear and beyond doubt, according to the Treaty of Lausanne of 1923, the Italian-Turkish Agreements of 1932, and the 1947 Treaty of Paris, the Greek side stressed.

"Once again, the European Commission's criticism of Turkey has induced the latter to make absurd claims. We call on Turkey to come to its senses and to use the findings of the Commission's report as a useful tool for self-criticism in improving its image in public opinion and in the international community," the Greek ministry statement concluded.

Editor: Mu Xuequan
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Greece urges Turkey to abide to int'l law

Source: Xinhua 2018-04-18 23:15:27

ATHENS, April 18 (Xinhua) -- Greek President Prokopis Pavlopoulos as well as the Greek Foreign Ministry on Wednesday urged Turkey to abide to international law and refrain from "absurd claims" in response to the latest announcement by the Turkish Foreign Ministry regarding sovereignty over the Imia/Kardak islets in the Aegean Sea.

"We always want to have good relations. We favor Turkey's European perspective, but this requires respect of the European Union and Greece's borders, and we are not willing to make concessions," Pavlopoulos said while welcoming Estonian Defense Minister Juri Luik at the Presidential Mansion in Athens.

Europeans are prepared to protect these borders which are clearly defined by international law, the Greek President stressed, according to Greek national news agency AMNA.

The Greek leader's remark came following a Turkish Foreign Ministry announcement that claimed that "the Kardak islets (Imia for Greece), their territorial waters and their air space are under Turkish sovereignty."

In 1996, the two neighboring NATO members came to the brink of war over a sovereignty dispute of Imia/Kardak islets, while in recent months tensions have increased again over a series of issues.

Ankara's statement was made after the release on Tuesday of the European Commission's 2018 Turkey Country Report and the Enlargement Strategy Paper.

"While the European Union calls on Turkey to respect European law, Turkey responds with an announcement that provocatively violates it. It reiterates a flagrantly illegal stance, ignoring the fact that the legal status of the Aegean is fully enshrined in international law," said an e-mailed Greek Foreign Ministry announcement Wednesday.

Greek sovereignty over Imia is clear and beyond doubt, according to the Treaty of Lausanne of 1923, the Italian-Turkish Agreements of 1932, and the 1947 Treaty of Paris, the Greek side stressed.

"Once again, the European Commission's criticism of Turkey has induced the latter to make absurd claims. We call on Turkey to come to its senses and to use the findings of the Commission's report as a useful tool for self-criticism in improving its image in public opinion and in the international community," the Greek ministry statement concluded.

[Editor: huaxia]
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