Greece condemned the Turkish illegal actions in the exclusive economic zone of Cyprus and demanded to stop them, said Foreign Minister Giorgos Katrougalos after meeting with his Turkish counterpart Mevlut Chavushoglu in Helsinki.

“We’re among the few European countries that still believe in that,” he said. He noted, however, that Turkey “must first respect their obligations,” stressing that accession hinges on Ankara respecting “not just international law but also the rule of law and human rights,” Ekathimerini reported quoting Katrougalos.

According to him, on this issue, as the leaders of the two countries agreed during the visit of the Greek Prime Minister to Turkey in February, it was decided to start talks between the military on confidence-building measures.

Turkey declares that it has not changed its position on the continental shelf in the Eastern Mediterranean since 2004, while will continue to defend the Turkish Cypriot rights to the continental shelf until the Greek side in Cyprus incorporates them into the decision-making mechanism on the fields hydrocarbons and will not stop their unilateral activities in this area.

The EU has aleady voiced its support to Cyprus.