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Russian envoy: Law of the sea should be respected

Russian envoy: Law of the sea should be respected

The principles of international law and the law of the sea should be respected, Russian Ambassador to Greece Andrey Maslov said on Wednesday during an annual press briefing.

Asked on the recent Turkey-Libya memorandum of understanding on maritime zones, the ambassador said he did not want to not “enter into detailed commentary” on the issue, which should be left to experts, but “the main issue is to observe the principles of international law, including the Lausanne Treaty of 1923 and the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea of 1982.”

He continued to say that he is confident there will be no armed conflict between Greece and Turkey. "It is impossible for this to happen within NATO, as the United States would never allow an armed conflict.”

Speaking on bilateral relations, Maslov said Greece is a traditional and reliable partner of Russia in Europe and the two countries can continue building their relations "even under the anti-Russian situation of sanctions" by the EU.

He cited the November visit of Foreign Affairs Minister Nikos Dendias to Russia, and the invitation extended to Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, who will visit Greece in 2020. 

The ambassador also referred to energy and tourism as the two basic sectors of collaboration, making particular mention of Elounda Hills on Crete – a Russian investment of 408.5 million euros, the largest foreign strategic investment in Greece at this point, he said – and Resort Skorpios, known as the home of the late Aristotle Onassis in Greece, an investment worth 165 million euros. 

In relation to relations between Russia and the West, he said that "we see there are logical countries, including Greece, that understand the impasse of today's situation” and expressed Russia's appreciation for "the established stance of the Greeks, that the architecture of security in Europe must include Russia as well." Russia is interested in a multi-aspect collaboration with the EU, as long as there is interest on the EU's side, he added.

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