Commencement of bilateral talks to delimitate maritime zones between Greece and Libya and the government’s intent to purchase a four French-made frigate were the key points in Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis’ weekly message on Facebook, which was posted on Sunday.
The Greek leader’s post began with a reference to an agreement between Athens with the Tripoli-based Government of National Unity (GNU) to start talks on the sensitive issue of finally drawing maritime zones between the two countries – which face each other across the east Mediterranean.
The development essentially negates, in theory, a controversial 2019 agreement between Turkey and the GNU – the rival to the east Libya regime headed by Gen. Khalifa Haftar – to divide up the east-central part of the Mediterranean by “erasing” all Greek island territory, including the large island of Crete.
“We still have a long way to go before reaching an agreement, but this is a positive development for Greece, in relation to our neighboring country. The path to wider regional stability lies in agreements between genuine neighbors, based on international law, rather than arbitrary and baseless memoranda (the 2019 agreement). The start of the delimitation process with Libya comes just 24 hours after the formalization of the participation of the US company Chevron in an international tender for four offshore blocks south of Crete and the Peloponnese and the clear recognition by the United States of Greece’s energy and geopolitical importance in the eastern Mediterranean,” he wrote.
Mitsotakis’ reference to the purchase of a fourth frigate, the FDI HN (known as the Belharra) constructed by Naval Group, was accompanied by his statement of further boosting the country’s defense capabilities amidst “unforeseen geopolitical turbulence we’re experiencing.”
“Without security, there are no conditions for economic growth or social cohesion. And, conversely, only with resilient public finances and fiscal soundness can we have effective national protection,” he said of the warship’s purchase.
The government’s approval of a fourth frigate acquisition from the French shipyard must now be ratified in Parliament, something that is widely expected.
Source: tovima.com
