'Greece, Egypt to carry on border parleys' Says Nikos Dendias

ATHENS: Greece and Egypt will continue negotiations to complete the demarcation of their maritime borders, following an earlier deal setting up an exclusive economic zone between them in the Mediterranean Sea, Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias said. Dendias made the remarks during a joint press conference with his Egyptian counterpart SamehShoukry after their meeting in Athens on Tuesday, Xinhua news agency reported.

The two countries signed on August 6 — and ratified later — the deal after holding talks in good faith, solving an issue that had been pending for more than 15 years, Dendias noted.

"It is a model of application of the international law, a model of application of the law of the sea, a model of respect for the principle of good neighbourliness between states, an agreement that contributes to the stability and exploitation of the resources of the Eastern Mediterranean," said the Greek minister, national broadcaster ERT reported.

Greece and Egypt are among countries accusing Turkey of "provocations" also because of the research conducted by Turkish seismic survey vessel Oruc Reis in recent weeks.

"We have rejected all provocative actions that destabilize the region and escalate tensions, which are not in the interests of either side. Together we strive for the Eastern Mediterranean to become a region of cooperation, of brotherhood, of peace and to contribute to the prosperity of the region," Shoukry said.

After Oruc Reis returned to Turkey last weekend after weeks of research in a disputed area, Greek Prime Minister KyriakosMitsotakis said his country expects more positive steps and an end to "provocations" to restart dialogue with Turkey over the delimitation of maritime borders. (IANS)

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