 |
| Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Albania |
The reaction of the Albanian authorities followed the statement made on Wednesday by the Prime Minister of Greece Kyriakos Mitsotakis in the Parliament that his government will present a draft law, to push the western border of the territorial waters in the Ionian Sea from 6 to 12 nautical miles. Mr. Mitsotakis said also that Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias had informed his Italian and Albanian counterparts.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Albania responded to the interest of Voice of America (VOA) on this topic, saying that regarding the statements on the rapid expansion of the Greek Territorial Sea from 6 to 12 nautical miles, we emphasize that this is an issue that is regulated by international law and specifically by the Montego Bay Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) in 1982”.
The Foreign Ministry states that "Albania and Greece, as neighboring countries that share maritime zones, are already committed to reaching a new agreement in the spirit of mutual understanding and interest, based on the principles and norms of the law of the sea, international practice, as well as respecting the decision of the Constitutional Court”.
In its response to VOA, the Foreign Ministry adds that "Greece, like any other state party to the convention, where geography allows and as long as the sovereign rights of another state are not violated, enjoys the right to expand the width of the Territorial Sea according to UNCLOS forecasts".
Albania and Greece have been discussing the demarcation of maritime borders between them in recent years. An inaccessible agreement between the two governments was overturned by the Constitutional Court of Albania and talks started from the beginning with new negotiating groups.
In a Twitter message on Tuesday, Greek Foreign Minister Niko Dendias wrote that he had spoken on the phone with Prime Minister Edi Rama about bilateral relations and developments in the region.