Greek Parliament Votes To Double Boundary Of Territorial Waters In Ionian Sea

ATHENS (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 21st January, 2021) Greek lawmakers on Wednesday voted in favor of doubling the country's sea borders in the Ionian Sea from six nautical miles to 12 nautical miles, more than six months after an agreement on maritime boundaries was reached with Italy.

Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias presented the bill and 284 of the parliament's 300 lawmakers voted in favor. There were no votes against and 16 lawmakers abstained.

Athens and Rome signed an agreement on maritime boundaries in the Ionian Sea this past June, establishing exclusive zones for fishing rights and the use of natural resources. According to Athens, the expansion is in line with the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, which set a 12-mile limit.

"This is a very clear message that the government is sending to those who are trying to deprive our homeland, through threats and bravado, of what is permitted by international law," Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said in parliament.

Greece and Turkey clashed throughout 2020 over maritime boundaries as Turkish vessels conducted seismic exploration surveys in the eastern Mediterranean Sea. Officials from Athens and Ankara are set to hold exploratory talks aimed at resolving the dispute on January 25.