"It [border] will stretch from [Ionian Sea island] Othonoi to Antikythera [northwest from Crete]. It will expand to 12 miles from 6 miles for the first time since we got the Dodecanese [islands in the southeast Aegean Sea]," Nikos Kotzias said.
READ MORE: Greek Foreign Ministry Dismisses Turkey's Claims to Imia Islets in Aegean Sea
Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras, who accepted the diplomat’s resignation this week, said at the handing-over ceremony that his office would continue the work to expand the maritime border.
Turkey warned in 1995 that an attempt by Athens to expand its territorial sea beyond 6 nautical miles would authorize its government to declare a war on Greece.