Sources from the Greek Ministry of Defense commented on remarks made by Turkish Defense Minister Yasar Guler during a session of Turkey’s parliamentary committee in which he claimed Greece had violated the Bern Agreement in the Aegean Sea.
“Greece remains steadfastly committed to international law, including the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), which it has ratified. Positions that contravene international law do not contribute to fostering mutual trust or improving bilateral relations,” Greek Ministry of Defense sources emphasized.
The same sources stressed that the Greek Armed Forces served as guarantors of our [Greek] national sovereignty and sovereign rights, as “defined by international legal norms.”
According to Turkey’s ANKA news agency, Guler accused Greece of violating the Bern Agreement in the Aegean Sea by conducting research activities in what Turkey considers its potential continental shelf.
“Recently, our Ministry of Foreign Affairs has undertaken the necessary diplomatic initiatives with Greek authorities regarding unauthorized research activities carried out by Greece within our future continental shelf in the Aegean,” Guler said, referencing an incident near Kasos Island.
He described this as a breach of the 1976 Bern Agreement between the two countries, as well as international law, adding that Turkey’s Naval Forces Command and Coast Guard Command had responded appropriately to the situation.
