'Turkey foils plot like Sevres Treaty in East Med by signing historic deal with Libya'
‘We were militarily superior in the region, but for the first time we have gained a political superiority,’ a retired Turkish admiral says
Turkey has foiled foreign plots in the Eastern Mediterranean by inking a historic agreement on maritime boundaries with Libya's internationally-recognized government, a retired Turkish admiral said on Friday.
"Turkey foiled naval plans, similiar to the those in the Treaty of Sevres, in the Eastern Mediterranean by signing a memorandum of understanding. Turkey for the first time drew the western borders of its economic zone with a country other than the TRNC," Cem Gürdeniz said in an exclusive interview with Yeni Şafak daily.
The 1920 Treaty of Sevres, imposed a settlement and colonial carve-up of Turkey after World War One.
He also pointed that the accord is very significant for Ankara's legal basis and legitimacy in the region.
"We had military superiority in the region, but for the first time we have gained the political superiority," he stressed.
Turkey and Libya signed an agreement on maritime boundaries in the Mediterranean Sea, Turkish Presidential Communications Directorate announced Wednesday.
"The Security and Military Cooperation" and "Restriction of Marine Jurisdictions" agreements were signed when Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan held a closed meeting that lasted 2 hours and 15 minutes with Fayez al-Sarraj, chairman of Presidential Council of Libya, at the Dolmabahçe Palace in Istanbul.
A retired Turkish admiral, Deniz Kutluk, also underscored the importance of the deal, saying: "The agreement will curb the extremist claims of Greece. It will also contribute to fishing industry, in addition to the gains made in the economic zone and continental shelf."
Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said on Thursday that Turkey's maritime boundaries agreement with Libya is aimed at protecting Ankara's rights under international law.
At a news conference, he said Turkey had been unable to agree such deals with some other countries but could do so in the future.
The accord could further complicate disputes over energy exploration in the eastern Mediterranean where Turkish drilling has angered Greek Cypriots, Athens and the European Union.
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