"Greece is moving methodically, responsibly, and decisively toward securing its energy autonomy, rejecting any reaction that is not grounded in the principles of international law," Minister of Environment and Energy, Stavros Papastavrou, said on Monday speaking to public broadcaster ERT.
He emphasised that "Greece exercises its sovereign rights in practice, on the ground, in accordance with international law." 
As he noted, "there is an issue under discussion with Libya-namely, the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ)-which, however, must be resolved based on international law and established international practice. This is something the Greek government is always open to, but as far as our development plan in the hydrocarbons sector is concerned, it is proceeding normally and decisively."
Focusing further on Libya’s diplomatic note, which disputes the median line with Greece, the Minister of Environment and Energy pointed out the contradiction that, even today, on the official website of Libya’s National Oil Corporation, the ongoing international hydrocarbons tender includes maritime blocks that respect the median line with Greece. This, he explained, is due to the fact that 90% of Libya’s revenues come from hydrocarbons. "In any case, we are proceeding with our processes as planned, and the tender is moving forward," he underlined.
Regarding Marine Spatial Planning, Papastavrou emphasised that "spatial frameworks are not created overnight-they are the result of a complex process, especially in our country, which has the longest coastline in the EU and the most recorded islands." He stressed that a series of preliminary steps are required to establish the spatial framework, many of which had been delayed in previous years.
 "In April, we completed three-quarters of the work," he noted. "We formulated the national spatial strategy for the marine area-meaning we identified which human activities we want to develop in our maritime space. We also mapped out the four marine spatial units: two in the Aegean, one south of Crete, and one in the Ionian Sea, all with full effect for the islands. At the same time, we defined the criteria that planners will use to create the spatial frameworks. What remains now is the completion of those frameworks," the minister concluded.