Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias reiterated his criticism of last month’s deal between Turkey and Libya’s Government of National Unity on energy exploration in the eastern Mediterranean.

The deal is based on a maritime demarcation accord signed between the two countries in 2019 which has been condemned by Greece, Cyprus, Egypt and Israel. Libya’s parliament has also rejected it.

In a video message during a conference on energy and security held in Athens on Friday, Dendias said the 2019 agreement – which ignores Greek islands, notably Crete, standing in between non-neighboring Libya and Turkey – “defied not only basic international law, but also fundamental principles of geography.” 

“We were happy to see that many states have come out to denounce it immediately,” he said.

The Greek foreign minister also praised a US-brokered maritime demarcation deal signed between Lebanon and Israel in October. 

That deal was welcomed for bringing a measure of accommodation between the rival states as they eye offshore energy exploration.

“We salute the courage and the vision of Israel and Lebanon and we hope that other countries in the region will seize the opportunity and follow their example,” Dendias said.

“This is the path to peace, stability, and prosperity. Unfortunately, this is not the path followed by all,” he said, in a thinly-disguised reference to Turkey.