Turkey to uphold ‘equitable principles’ in Eastern Med

Speaking amid disputes with Greece over energy exploration in the eastern Mediterranean, Turkey on Friday said it would “continue to act in line with the equitable principles and all relevant special circumstances” in delimiting maritime jurisdiction.

“On the delimitation of maritime jurisdiction areas, Turkey will, as it has to date, continue to act in line with the equitable principles and all relevant special circumstances,” Foreign Ministry spokesman Hami Aksoy said in response to question over a previous Greek Foreign Ministry statement.

“In this vein, there is no advice that we would take from Greece over the delimitation techniques within the framework of international law,” Aksoy added.

Last week, Turkish naval vessels blocked a Greek warship harassing a Turkish seismic and drilling vessel in the eastern Mediterranean.

Turkey has consistently contested the Greek Cypriot administration’s unilateral drilling activity in the Eastern Mediterranean, saying Turkish Cypriots have equal rights to the resources in the area.