Greece prepares for drilling in the Ionian Sea, neighboring media publish maps of the unresolved border with Albania

Greek media report that on Wednesday in Athens, an agreement is expected to be signed for drilling in “Block 2” in the Ionian Sea, marking an important step toward the start of gas exploration by the consortium ExxonMobil, Energean, and HELLENiQ Energy. The project foresees that the first exploratory drilling will take place in 2027, reviving activity in this area after nearly half a century.

At the same time, Greek media have also published relevant maps of the exploration zones (in yellow), where it is noticeable that the maritime boundary north of “Block 2” is shown as a dashed line, corresponding to the Greek version of the delimitation with Albania.

Map of exploration in “Block 2” published by Greek media

In these maps, the dashed line indicating that the border is not finalized gives full effect to the Greek islands opposite the Albanian coast, pushing the boundary northward, despite the fact that it remains legally unresolved and part of an expected international process.

The Constitutional Court of Albania, in its decision on the 2009 maritime agreement, rejected the use of a mechanical division and emphasized that the boundary must be the result of a fair process, not simply a mathematical one.

As stated in the Court’s decision on the border: “The principle of strict equidistance should not have been applied… the principle of equidistance combined with equity should have been applied.”

The Court also pointed out the distorting effect of the Greek islands in this division, stating, among other things: “The island of Corfu creates geographical circumstances… to the disadvantage of the Albanian side.”

Part of the consortium that will carry out the drilling is the American giant ExxonMobil, where a few months ago the former U.S. ambassador to Tirana, Yuri Kim, was appointed.

Meanwhile, in the ceremony for the drilling contract for Block 2 in the Northwestern Ionian Sea, in addition to the Greek side, the U.S. ambassador to Athens, Kimberly Guilfoyle, will also participate, who a few weeks ago held a meeting with Prime Minister Edi Rama in Tirana.

“KORÇA BOOM”