Greece, Albania to refer maritime dispute to Hague
Amid the protracted crisis between Athens and Turkey over their respective maritime zones, Greece and Albania announced Tuesday that they have agreed to take a dispute over their sea borders in the Ionian Sea to the International Court of Justice.
“We have agreed to pass on this case to international justice,” said Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias after meeting with Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama in Tirana Tuesday. Rama said the “issue will not be at our discretion, nor that of the Greek side, but of international justice and in that way we shall focus on our economic [and] regional cooperation.”
Greece is seeking to delimitate its sea borders with its neighbors, with deals so far signed with Italy and Egypt.
Greece and Albania had signed a maritime border deal in 2009 but it was challenged in Albania’s constitutional court which nullified the agreement almost a year later.
