Turkiye declares EU maritime maps ‘null and void’

Turkiye on Saturday declared the EU’s Maritime Spatial Planning maps of the Aegean and Mediterranean seas to be “null and void” with “no legal effect”​​​​​​​, Anadolu Agency reports.

“We will not allow the violation of Turkiye’s rights with this Planning,” the Turkish Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

“The EU has no authority to comment on maritime disputes between sovereign states. The EU’s involvement in such initiatives makes it more difficult to resolve these disputes,” the statement added.

The Turkish Foreign Ministry also said unilateral attempts by the EU “undermine the efforts to find a comprehensive, just and durable solution to the interrelated Aegean issues,” emphasizing that problems should be solved “on the basis of international law and good neighborliness.”

Turkiye has repeatedly stressed that its issues with Greece, its Aegean neighbor, should be handled between the two countries, not through the EU or any third countries.​​​​​​​

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