The Ministry of Foreign Affairs responded to the Turkish claims on the sovereignty of Imia and legal status of the Aegean, arguing that the recent statements are irresponsible and provocative.
“Greece’s sovereignty over its islands in the Aegean, including Imia, is indisputable and enshrined in international law. Irresponsible statements to the contrary are provocative, as the legal status of the islands and islets of the Aegean is clear and has been explicitly determined by a number of International Agreements of the previous century. Anyone who ignores international legal reality does not contribute to the consolidation of the rules of good neighborly relations, but in fact undermines them” the statement argues.
In relation to the Turkish leadership’s statements on Cyprus, the Foreign Affair Ministry spokesperson Stratos Efthymiou commented that “once again, the Turkish leadership are trying to equate the perpetrator with the victim, making historically groundless and arbitrary correlations aimed at expunging Turkey’s responsibilities as an occupation force”.
