Greece and Cyprus pen maritime agreement

The agreement was signed in Athens by Foreign minister Evangelos Venizelos and Cyprus Foreign Minister Ioannis Kasoulides. Its purpose, the ministers said, is to shield both countries from acts of aggression such as the recent Turkish actions in Cyprus’ Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ).

They said the agreement effectively brings under the two countries’ jurisdiction the sea area between them.

According to an official statement issued later in the day, the agreement “defines the common boundary between Cyprus and Greece”. This encompasses the western limit of the Search and Rescue Region (SSR) of the Cyprus Republic and the eastern limit of Greece’s SSR, a length of 287 kilometers.

The deal also provides for the coordination of search and rescue operations by the JRCC (Joint Rescue Coordination Center) of Larnaca and of Piraeus, the exchange of information, as well as the conduct of joint search and rescue drills.

According to the same statement, the bilateral agreement is in accordance with the provisions of the 1979 International Convention on maritime search and rescue and its annexes and the 1974 International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS) and its protocols.

Venizelos referred to ongoing talks between Greece and Egypt on delineating the two countries’ respective EEZs. Joint technical committees would be meeting soon in Athens to continue deliberations, he said.

Kasoulides said the international community had not reacted to the latest Turkish provocations in the way Cyprus had hoped for. One explanation for Turkey’s actions in Cyprus’ EEZ, he suggested, might be that Ankara is seeking the international community’s tolerance as a trade-off for its own active engagement in the coalition against the Islamic State.

Ankara has stated that it will not accept Greek Cypriot ‘unilateral actions’ with regard to offshore hydrocarbons prospecting, adding that the island’s natural resources should be shared between the two communities.