One day after the Greek Council of State, the Supreme Administrative Court, approved the Presidential decree for the expansion of Greek territorial waters by 12 miles in the Ionian Sea, Prime Minister Rama declared that “the extension of 12 miles from Greece to the Ionian Sea does not include the Ionian area between us.” This response came after the Albanian media misinterpreted the Greek Council of State decision as involving the area which is still being disputed between Greece and Albania.
Rama remembered through his Twitter account that Albania and Greece have agreed to refer their dispute over maritime borders to the International Court of Justice. As for the approval of the decree by the Greek Council of State, Rama considered it a normal process, similar to the one Albania did in 1990. To make the case clearer, Rama shared also the photos of the document which proved that Albania had done exactly the same procedure as Greece did yesterday, without being contested by anyone.
While Albania and Greece seem to have found the proper way to deal with the maritime border issue, the Greek newspaper “Protothema” analyzed the passing of the decree by the Council of State on Christmas day, as a clear sign to Turkey, that Greece will not minimize its efforts towards the delimitation of its sea borders.
