Gerapetritis says Greece will not tolerate illegal maritime delimitations after UN meeting

Maritime zones at the UN

On Wednesday, 28 October 2026, Foreign Minister Giorgos Gerapetritis met UN Secretary-General António Guterres at UN headquarters in New York. In remarks given immediately afterwards, he said Greece would not accept any illegality concerning maritime zones, and that the talks covered maritime security with particular reference to illegal delimitations. He argued that neighbouring states with shared sea boundaries must respect the rules of international law, and noted that most UN member states have acceded to the law of the sea framework. No Turkish government response to the remarks appears in these articles.

“Maritime zones are not an auction field. They are a field where international law must be enforced.”

Gerapetritis also stressed that the seas and oceans are not anyone's privilege or plot, and that Greece favours settling disputes between neighbouring countries through international law and dialogue, without tolerating aggressive actions that breach that law. Greek outlets read the remarks as a message to Turkey.

Egypt and the Turkish-Libyan memorandum

Asked about phone contacts with his Egyptian counterpart and about reports of Turkish moves toward Egypt, Gerapetritis described the relationship between Athens and Cairo as strategic and brotherly, developing in all fields. He noted that Egypt's Permanent Representative to the United Nations stood beside him in New York when Greece announced its statement on the Turkish-Libyan memorandum, which he called illegal and baseless. Both countries, he said, share a strong common conviction about the universal application of international law.

He warned that without that application, a highly damaging situation would follow for countries bordering the Mediterranean or other seas, and for world trade, food security, energy security and the protection of the oceans. His answers were given in response to questions from journalists after the meeting with Guterres.

Phone call with the Egyptian foreign minister

On the same day, Gerapetritis spoke by phone with Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty. According to the Greek Foreign Ministry, which announced the call in a post on X, the conversation centred on the Greece-Egypt Strategic Partnership, and both ministers confirmed the strong and long-standing ties between the two countries. They exchanged views on regional developments and on security and stability in the Eastern Mediterranean. The ministers also discussed the functioning of the United Nations during Greece's current presidency of the UN Security Council.

Wider crises and Cyprus

In the meeting with Guterres, Gerapetritis said the two men had jointly concluded that humanity stands at its most critical juncture since the Second World War for global peace and prosperity. They discussed Ukraine, the Middle East and Africa. He called for bold decisions to de-escalate crises, stop wars and provide a way out of the energy and food crises. He argued that the UN must stay at the forefront of efforts for peace, and that the peaceful settlement of disputes remains the most important achievement since the war. He also urged that the momentum be used to restart substantive talks on Cyprus based on Security Council decisions.