(MENAFN- Kuwait News Agency (KUNA)) KUWAIT, Aug 6 (KUNA) -- Turkey criticized an agreement signed between Egypt and Greece Thursday to designate the exclusive economic zone (EEZ), considering the deal as "void."
"There are no maritime borders between Greece and Egypt," Turkey's foreign ministry said in a statement, and said the EEZ was located within Turkey's continental shelf and Ankara informed the UN about it.
Turkey said Egypt relinquished 11,500 square kilometers in line with an agreement signed with Cyprus in 2003, which made the deal with Greece void.
Turkey, it said, considered the agreement "an attempt to steal rights of Libya."
Turkey will not allow any activities in the EEZ and would defend the "legitimate interest" of Turkey and the Turkish Cypriots.
Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry co-signed the accord with his Greek counterpart, Nikos Dendias, and said the agreement constituted a development of utmost significance in the history of relations between the two nations.
The accord is compatible with international laws and the UN maritime convention, he said.
According to the deal, Egypt and Greece will maximize utilization of the resources within the set EEZ -- namely oil and gas, Shoukry affirmed, adding that it would open new horizons for further regional cooperation in energy.
For his part, Dendias noted that the agreement specifies the cotinental shelf of the Greek islands and marks a new phase in the solid bilateral ties. (end)
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