38866 - The Greek EEZ and the Skopιan Agreement

N. Lygeros
Translated from the Greek by Athina Kehagias

For all those who don’t yet believe in the value of the Greek EEZ, the Skopιan Agreement could constitute a starting point for their awakening.
Everybody of course knows that Skopje doesn’t have access to the sea, whereas Greece obtains the second largest Mediterranean EEZ after Italy.
Within the Skopιan Agreement in the context of economic cooperation the Article 13 exists.

Taking into account that the second Contracting Party is an enclosed State, the Contracting Parties shall be guided through the relevant provisions of the United Nations Convention in regards to the Law of the Sea which will have practical application, but would apply in cases when they will be entering into agreements as they are referred upon in Article 18 of this Agreement. [p. 14/20]

Because Skopje is described as an “enclosed state”, the Agreement wants to activate the relevant provisions of the United Nations Convention regarding the Law of the Sea.
Quite simply, Greece will offer Skopje access to the Aegean Sea, as simple as that.
It is quite interesting that a country of which 25% of the population is of Albanian descent is not restricted to Albania for access to the Adriatic sea, but on the contrary is trying to have an opening through Greece.
If that isn’t an economic exploitation of our EEZ.
However, only in the article of the Agreement there is such a
reference.
There was never before a reference on such issue .
Most probably the negotiators considered that it was not such an important matter that the Greek nation ought to learn about it.