Greece to extend territorial waters in Ionian Sea to 12 miles, says PM
Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said Wednesday in Parliament that the government will soon submit a bill extending Greece’s territorial waters in the Ionian Sea from six to 12 nautical miles.
Mitsotakis said Greece would thereby exercise an “inalienable sovereign right” in line with Article 3 of the Convention on the Law of the Sea.
He said that Greece could in the future extend its territorial waters in other maritime areas, in accordance with the Convention on the Law of the Sea and the application of the median line where the distance between the two shores is smaller than 24 miles.
Turkey has warned that a similar move by Greece to the east would be a “casus belli” – a cause for war.
Mitsotakis was speaking during a debate on Greece’s maritime boundaries agreement with Egypt and a separate one with Italy. The two deals will be put to vote on Thursday.
Speaking of the accords, he said “they have major historical and political significance.”