Albania: Constitutional Court annuls border deal with Greece

“In the agreement there are procedural and substantive violations of the constitution and of the 1982 UN Convention on the Sea Rights Law,” said the court in a statement.

Albania's Constitutional Court has annulled an agreement with neighboring Greece on the delineation of the continental shelf and maritime borders in the Ionian Sea between the two countries.

“In the agreement there are procedural and substantive violations of the constitution and of the 1982 UN Convention on the Sea Rights Law,” said the court in a statement.

The decision of the court was unanimous, with all nine judges voting to strike down the agreement.

Albanian social groupings and six opposition parties asked the Court to declare it void due to the lack of transparency.

The government had conducted the process before its signing during former Greek Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis' visit to Tirana in April last year.

After filling the required documetnation it was only the Socialist party that formally made the request last November.

The Court had suspended its ratification by the parliament.

The Court considered the deal as "not in line with the Constitution" due to "procedural and substantial violations," according to a statement Wednesday. (EMPortal)