Turkey seeks expanded maritime rights in Aegean, eastern Mediterranean

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) is reportedly working connected authorities that would alteration the president to state an Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) extending up to 200 nautical miles from Turkey’s coasts, according to sources cited by Bloomberg.

The draught instrumentality would authorize Erdogan to asseverate Turkish rights implicit fishing, mining, drilling, and the constitution of marine parks, including successful contested areas of the Aegean and eastbound Mediterranean, where EU subordinate states Greece and Cyprus support overlapping claims. 

According to the aforesaid sources, the inaugural is aimed astatine countering Greek and Cypriot positions successful the resource-rich eastbound Mediterranean while signaling that Turkey “cannot beryllium sidelined” successful determination vigor disputes.

Under the UN Convention connected the Law of the Sea, coastal states whitethorn found EEZs of up to 200 nautical miles, though overlapping claims necessitate bilateral agreements. Turkey has not ratified the convention, a constituent highlighted by analysts noting the country’s reliance connected maritime ineligible principles it has not formally accepted.

Ankara rejects Greece’s presumption that maritime boundaries are determined by the Greek islands, some of which are located adjacent the Turkish coast, arguing alternatively that continental support rights should beryllium based connected mainland territory.

Cagri Erhan, main advisor to the Turkish president, said the draught authorities does not correspond a caller escalation against Greece, stressing that Turkey’s stance connected a six-nautical-mile territorial oversea bounds successful the Aegean remains unchanged. He besides reiterated that a 1995 determination by the Turkish National Assembly remains successful force, including the standing casus belli regarding immoderate hold beyond six nautical miles.

Turkey besides maintains that land states such arsenic Cyprus are entitled to maritime rights lone within their territorial waters, which whitethorn widen up to 12 nautical miles. The Turkish-occupied bluish third of Cyprus, recognized lone by Ankara, besides claims rights implicit imaginable offshore vigor resources.

The United States has urged Greece and Turkey to support dialog implicit lipid and state exploration disputes, while the European Union has antecedently threatened Turkey with sanctions implicit drilling activities successful contested waters pursuing unit from Greece and Cyprus.

Amid reports circulating implicit the past fewer days, Greek Foreign Minister George Gerapetritis commented Thursday astatine the Energy Transition Summit organized by the Financial Times and Kathimerini, stressing that immoderate unilateral enactment aimed astatine implementing a country’s intentions is “doomed to fail.”

At the aforesaid time, diplomatic sources clarified that Athens has made its concerns wide to Ankara, conveying that such moves bash not lend to maintaining a clime of “calm waters” successful bilateral relations.