(Ret) Brigadier Gen. Cihangir Dumanlı shares his views on the crisis spurred by Greece’s blatant violations of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea as an extension of its long-standing eastward expansion policy and on the high cost of this crisis to world peace
Hydrocarbon discovery in eastern Mediterranean – a traditionally significant route for taking Middle Eastern oil to international markets and also a region that is part of China’s Belt and Road Initiative (OBOR) project – has increased the strategic value of this region and at the same time has caused conflicts and crises over the sharing of these resources.
Although the conflict is essentially one between Greece-Greek Cypriot Administration and Türkiye-Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC), it has gained on a multi-actor dimension with the participation of the US, France, Italy, Egypt, Lebanese, Libya, Jordan and Israel, which have thrown their weight behind Greece.
As part of its historical policy of eastward expansion, Greece has consistently chosen to make various territorial claims in violation of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) and signed exclusive economic zone (EEZ) agreements with other coastal states on delimitation of maritime jurisdiction areas. These steps at times result in crises in the region.
Greece’s claims and Türkiye’s counter arguments
Asserting that it is an archipelagic state, Greece puts forth the claim that its maritime jurisdiction runs through a line formed by the outermost Greek islands (Rhodes, Karpathos, Kasos, and Crete). If this was to be accepted, Türkiye’s maritime zone would be unjustly restricted, and Türkiye – which has the longest continental coastline in the Eastern Mediterranean – would be squeezed into Antalya bay. Greece is not an island state. Having a number of islands in the Aegean doesn’t make a country an island state. To qualify as an archipelagic state, the country in question should not have any land connection to the continental mainland and its primary territory should consist of islands (as in the case of Indonesia or the Philippines). Greece is a continental country; a peninsula that is part of continental Europe that extends into the Mediterranean.
This country’s claim to being an island state is a violation of law, and at the same time, it is an attempt at unjustly restricting Türkiye’s jurisdiction over its territorial waters, and as such, is in conflict with the most vital national interests of the country. It simply cannot be accepted.
Greece also asserts that all of its islands are entitled to a continental shelf, including Kastellorizo, its most remote outpost in the eastern Mediterranean. This assertion is against the law. According to UNCLOS provisions, islands are entitled to a continental shelf in principle, but an island that rests on an area that is part of the natural extension of another continent (of Asia Minor, in this case), are not entitled to a continental shelf. Kastllorizo, as an island lying just two km away from the Turkish mainland and hundreds of km away from the Greek mainland, cannot restrict the Anatolian continental shelf. Türkiye has the obvious priority.
Another position held by Greece is that delimitation of the continental shelf and EEZ between states with opposite coasts “should take place in accordance with the equidistance/median line principle.”
The EEZ is defined by two aspects: the body of water and the natural resources underwater. These resources cannot be equitably shared if they are to be split by a median line drawn above the surface. This is why UNCLOS provides the delimitation of the EEZ not by a median line but on the basis of an equitable solution.
Conclusion
Greek authorities and politicians stress adherence to the law in speeches or remarks about the dispute, claiming that they would like the issues in the Aegean and the Mediterranean to be solved in accordance with the law, and accuse Türkiye of acting “unlawfully.” However, in reality, all of the claims put forth by Greece are in complete violation of UNCLOS, which is the primary source of international law in this area. These claims are also blatantly in violation of Türkiye’s national interests – which are based on international law – in the Aegean and the Mediterranean, which Türkiye defines as the Blue Homeland.
Until the day all maritime jurisdiction territories are split in accordance with the law; in an equitable and peaceful manner among all the coastal countries, the Eastern Mediterranean will continue to be a source of potential crises.
It would be in the interest of all the parties involved and in terms of peace and stability in the region and the world for Greece to put an end, through peaceful means, to its policy of expansion at Türkiye’s expense by enlisting the help of the great powers as it has always done throughout history.
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