What are the disputes between Turkey and Greece? The 'Aegean Issue' in photos
Current disputes between Turkey and Greece regarding maritime jurisdiction areas in the Aegean Sea continue within the framework of the complexities of international law, affecting relations between the two countries. Issues such as territorial waters, the continental shelf, and the demilitarization of islands are among the fundamental elements increasing tension in the region.
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Disputes over maritime jurisdiction areas between Turkey and Greece in the Aegean Sea have remained a long-standing issue on the agenda.
These issues are gathered under many headings such as territorial waters, the continental shelf, the demilitarization of islands, airspace claims, and search and rescue activities.
The border of territorial waters between Turkey and Greece has not yet been finalized. While the width of both Turkish and Greek territorial waters in the Aegean Sea is set at 6 nautical miles, this situation poses a problem according to international law.
Greece's declaration of its national airspace as 10 nautical miles and the overlaps in search and rescue zones are causing existing problems to deepen.
Despite its territorial waters being 6 nautical miles wide, Greece continues to maintain its claims that its national airspace is 10 nautical miles.
Search and Rescue (SAR) activities in the Aegean also cause uncertainties between Turkey and Greece.
According to the 1979 Hamburg Convention, the coordination of search and rescue regions is based on agreements to be made between the relevant parties. However, the fact that both countries treat the issue as a matter of 'national sovereignty' hinders the consensus and communication necessary for SAR missions.
The geographical location of the coastlines in the Aegean Sea necessitates the establishment of a maritime boundary between the two countries. Greece's efforts to extend its territorial waters to 12 nautical miles pose a serious problem for Turkey.
In such a scenario, Greece would possess 70% of the Aegean Sea, while Turkey's share would fall below 10%.
A similar issue exists regarding the continental shelf. Currently, Turkey and Greece do not have a delimited maritime jurisdiction area beyond their territorial waters, which extend 6 nautical miles in the Aegean Sea.
This situation increases the importance of the necessity to delimit the maritime areas of the two coastal states.
Another significant issue is the 'demilitarized zone' status of the Eastern Aegean Islands within the framework of the 1923 Treaty of Lausanne and the 1947 Treaty of Paris.
These international treaties are legally binding on Greece regarding the non-militarization of these islands.
However, despite Turkey's objections, Greece continues to militarize the islands in violation of these treaties.
The legal status of certain geographical formations in the Aegean Sea is also a subject of debate.
The objections to the war between the parties are based on the interpretation of international treaties.
Turkey does not claim any rights over the islets left to Greece in the international arena, but argues that there are many formations in the Aegean Sea that were not ceded to the neighboring country.
All these elements indicate that the issues regarding maritime jurisdiction areas in the Aegean Sea necessitate a review of international law and potential solutions.