Greece and Turkey should go to the International Court of Justice if agreement on key issues is not reached, says Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis.
Speaking to Vima, the PM said he had offered an olive branch to Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdoğan during a recent meeting, but that Greece would not compromise its sovereign rights.
Mr Mitsotakis said that Greece’s opposition to the Turkish and Libyan exclusive economic zone agreement reached in November was backed by many countries, including the European Union, US, Egypt, Israel, most of the Gulf states and a large section of Libya itself.
READ MORE: Greece can talk Turkey but not under a cloud of threats, says Mitsotakis
With the diplomatic support, he said Greece was also strengthening its military capabilities with the upgrade of its F-16 and Mirage fighters.
Mr Mitsotakis said he sought understanding with Turkey through dialogue, exploratory and political talks.
“We must state clearly that if we cannot agree on the sole dispute that Greece recognises – delimitation of the continental shelf of the Aegean and eastern Mediterranean – that should be adjudicated by the International Court of Justice. If we believe, as we do, that right is on our side then we have nothing to fear from such a development,” Mr Mitsotakis said.
“When we go to the Hague to resolve our dispute with Turkey we must be absolutely certain that right is on our side and ready to accept whatever verdict is handed down. I believe it is certain that all political forces will support the move. It is necessary that it be done.
“A political and social majority is emerging in support of resolving disputes with Turkey… What other choice do we have? The one is to do nothing which means that at any moment there can be a result that makes both sides losers. There is no winner in a military clash.
“We want to be part of a solution in Libya because it concerns us as well. We are geographically closer than Turkey and if there were another government in Libya we could discuss delimiting the EEZ as with Libya we have a contiguous maritime zone and not Turkey. We do not want a locus of instability in our neighbourhood.
“I will demand very strongly that Greece participate in the Berlin Process on Libya. Why is Turkey a participant and not Greece? A political resolution of the crisis will be needed. We are placing a precondition for the EU’s approval – that the next government must consider null and void the [Libya-Turkey] ‘agreement’. This condition is non-negotiable,” he said.
Speaking about his forthcoming visit to the United States, Mr Mitsotakis said that relations with Washington were strong. With regard to the EastMed gas pipeline, he said the US recognised Europe’s need for alternative energy sources and that with the building of the floating LNG station at Alexandroupolis, Greece was now on the world energy map.
READ MORE: Greek, Cyprus, Israeli commerce organisations hail US ‘EastMed Act’
