The Foreign Ministry of the Republic of Cyprus condemns the signing of a memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between Turkey and Libya, purportedly aiming at the delimitation of maritime zones in between them.

“This kind of delimitation, if it went through, would constitute a grave violation of International Law, since it would disregard the legal rights of all coastal states in the Eastern Mediterranean and it would go contrary to the acknowledged principle of the Convention on the Law of the Sea and of customary law regarding the rights of islands to EEZs and continental shelf” a relevant announcement says.
 
According to the Foreign Ministry, the Memorandum of Understanding has not and does not produce in any way, any legal effects that interfere with the legal rights of the Republic of Cyprus or that of other coastal states.
 
“By distorting the rules of the Law of the Sea and misrepresenting geography, Turkey will not be able to assert a legal footing in the Eastern Mediterranean. To the contrary, the actions of Turkey prove once more that its positions with regard to international law are a minority of one” it is added.
 
The Foreign Ministry says that the same holds true for the positions of Turkey, included in a recent letter of the country’s Permanent Representative to the UN to the UN Secretary-General. The letter, which includes a reference to coordinates in the maritime area west and north of Cyprus, comes “in violation of any notion of international law, overriding the legal rights of the Republic of Cyprus in relation to its maritime zones” it is noted.
 
The Foreign Ministry dismisses the Turkish positions and unfounded claims in their entirety and will respond appropriately with an official letter to the UN, the statement concludes.