Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Kotzias on Monday, speaking from Nicosia, referred to an effort by Turkey to legalize its “illegal demands”, namely, the unilateral presentation of maritime maps supposedly delineating its Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) and continental shelf.
The latest Turkish maps, compiled irrespective of the UN Convention Law of the Sea, essentially overlap practically all of the Republic of Cyprus’ EEZ.
Kotzias spoke at a press conference with Cyprus President Nicos Anastasiades by this side.
Earlier, the Greek minister appeared in a Nicosia court as a witness in a lawsuit brought by the historic Kykkou Monastery on the island republic demanding that Greece return a centrally located plot of land purchased by Athens in order to build a new embassy in Nicosia.
The monastery’s lawsuit claims that a 10-year grace period whereby the embassy should have been constructed has passed, while also charging that Greece transferred the property to the memorandum-mandated privatization fund. A first instance decision ordered a return of the land to the monastery.
In a heated back-and-forth exchange with the monastery’s chief legal counsel, Kotzias denied the allegation, saying referring to a “bureaucratic error”.
