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The non-extension of Greek territorial waters from 6 to 12 nautical miles has been a position of Greek foreign policy for more than two decades. Any revision of this attitude will constitute a major development and will launch a new approach. The public debate that began about a week ago on this issue concerns the possible partial expansion of Greek territorial waters, with Turkey being involved.
The aggressive definition of "part time" is necessary because only a few marine areas are mentioned. As a general rule, these bands start from the Diapontian Islands and extend as far as Antikythira, from Antikythira to Crete and from the Saronic Gulf to the Pagasitic Gulf.
This is stated in an article in "News" where it is emphasized that the process is complex in legal and technical terms and that it unfolds at different stages.
The first is to close the existing bays, the second to build with the bays the straight baselines and the third to extend the territorial waters. Articles 7 and 10 of the 1982 Law of the Sea Convention define the precise manner in which measurements and engravings are made. This convention was ratified by the Greek Parliament in 1995 and reflects customary law.
The logic of the decision
By expanding its territorial waters, Greece automatically extends its sovereignty. Capacities in the fields of fishing, the environment and possibly energy are increasing. Indeed, the width of the continental shelf will begin to be measured from the point where the 12 nautical miles end and not 6.
In practice, Greece can facilitate its negotiations on the demarcation of the exclusive economic zone with Albania, but the position of the latter is not known in this respect. It could be the same for its negotiations with Italy, but Greece will respect the bilateral agreement on the delimitation of the continental shelf signed on May 24, 1977.
From a more theoretical point of view, Greece shows that it is active in its foreign policy in making decisions concerning its sovereignty. The partial extension of territorial waters is a practice implemented by Turkey. The territorial waters of the neighboring country extend up to 12 nautical miles from the Black Sea and its coastline running along the eastern Mediterranean after the bay of Antalya. Of course, this happened under other conditions during the Cold War.
The danger
The use of the term "sectional" for the extension of Greek territorial waters from 6 to 12 nautical miles means that this extension does not relate to the maritime areas likely to affect Turkey, namely the islands of the Aegean Sea. The message is therefore ambiguous. On the one hand, Greece can indeed use the Diapad Islands right to Antikythira, from Antikythira to Crete and from the Saronic Gulf to the Pagasitic Gulf.
On the other hand, however, based on realism, it stops in the aforementioned areas. In this way, Turkey's political position on "special conditions" in the Aegean Sea may be justified. Greece, while being cautious and on the basis of international law, may give the impression that it accepts the Turkish claim or fears Ankara and goes as far as possible. And of course, the negative badociation that emerges is that the acceptance of limited territorial waters for the islands may mean that their influence is reduced on matters related to the exclusive economic zone and the continental shelf.
The framework
Greece and Turkey have territorial waters of 6 nautical miles in the Aegean Sea. Falsely, Turkey did not sign the 1982 Sea Convention, so that it regards the Aegean Sea as a particular archipelago case which, in its opinion, does not exist. is not treated by the constant provisions of international law. The neighboring country is worried about the possibility of strangling it, as the extension of territorial waters to 12 nautical miles would raise the relative rates of Greece from 43.5% to 71%, while Turkey would only go from 7.5% to 8.8%. from the Aegean.
Thus, by a decision of the Turkish National Assembly in 1995, any extension of the Greek territorial waters to the Aegean Sea will be a cause of war (casus belli). Turkey reiterated its position in the week. The Greek Ministry of Foreign Affairs has declared that Greece has the right to extend its territorial waters at any time and at its discretion.
The possibilities
The almost certainly – albeit unofficial – withdrawal of Turkey's departure from the European road requires a revision of the Greek foreign policy doctrine. Since the Greek-Turkish problems are not solved in the hope of Turkey's accession to the European Union, it should be adapted to the reality, as it is This is the case daily in the eastern Mediterranean. In this context, however, the enlargement of the Aegean territorial waters poses great risks, not only because of the "casus belli", but also because it will have consequences on the range of international waters and on crossings. shipping used by international shipping. US support for such an initiative from Greece can not be taken for granted.
Therefore, the question that will only be resolved with time is whether a better solution is to partially expand the territorial waters without the real possibility of including the Aegean and with the aforementioned risk, or to Wait for the theoretical goal of the overall settlement of the problem – exploratory contacts with Turkey – in the future.
Dr. Yorgos N. Tzogopoulos is a scientific badociate at the Begin-Sadat Center for Strategic Studies (Israel) and Professor of International Relations at Democritus University in Thrace.
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