The final exercise through maps of different positions Greece and Turkey for the delineation of marine zones They are launched by Greece’s important initiative to approve and submit to the EU. him Maritime Spatial Planning (HSS)while Turkey is preparing to respond with its own map, which will of course record its well -known aspirations and claims so far.
The MSS is an important step in exercising the country’s sovereign rights, but it will be judged in practice when its implementation on the field begins, with the development of the activities provided in areas where Greece already has established rights or claims sovereign rights, but which is directly challenged by Turkey.
OR governmentafter long delays that led to the conviction by the European Court of Justice, he finally decided to proceed with the approval of the MSS as, in addition to the April 27 deadline, there was a serious danger, after postponing the Greek cable -to -be -expense work, Rights, even to capture its positions on the range of its marine zones.
Significant move
However, the decision made by the government will be wronged if it is considered to be mainly communicative in order to entertain the concern that had caused the issue of postponing investigations into his / her downturn. Cable of Crete – Cyprus Electrical Liaison. It is an important first step in promoting and exercising the country’s sovereign rights, as for the first time the public official document is recorded in the public official document by the ultimate Greek claims on sea zones under sea law, while this document, along with the map, also acquires a European stamp.
It is obvious – and the government clarifies from the first moment – that the MSS is not proclaimed EEZ, nor is sovereignty or sovereign rights to be granted in Greece. However, the existing marine zones (EEZs under Italy and Egypt agreements), the 6 nm territorial waters are reflected, without prejudice to their expansion of up to 12 nm, as provided by the Law of the Sea, as well as all the potential EEZ.
Under this law, since there is no demarcation agreement with neighboring or relevant countries, then Greece considers the external limit of its EEZ the midline in the way it calculates and measures it. Under this law, moreover, Greece has determined the plots south and southwest of Crete, which has even granted foreign hydrocarbon exploration companies.
Questions, however, raise the fact that the map does not also reflect the potential range of Greek territorial waters by 12 nm, as reflected on the informal work map published by the Commission by provoking Turkey’s intense reactions.
Because for Turkey the issue of Greece’s deterrence from expansion of territorial waters to 12 nm. It is at the core of its claims, the map of today’s 6 nm territorial waters. It probably worked soothing for the neighbor.
Also, the map that was made public is evident that Greece’s concession to the agreement with Egypt is evident. This, of course, was then considered necessary in order to have an essential answer, and even with the validity of an international agreement, in the Turkish -tired Memorandum.
In its official reaction, Turkey has chosen the diplomatic language, stating that its maritime jurisdiction are violated both in the Aegean and the eastern Mediterranean and that “the unilateral actions and claims of Greece will have no legal consequences for Turkey”. After warning that it would testify its own UNESCO and the “UN Competent Body”, demonstrating “moderation”, he argues that “a sincere and comprehensive approach to resolving issues on the basis of international law, equality and equality” should be adopted.
It is obvious that with the existence of two different and overlapping TSFs in the Aegean and Eastern Mediterranean, their reliability and viability will eventually be judged in their scope.
Because the MSS alone does not provide for the activation and licensing of specific activities, so there would be immediate problems on the field, but it offers the overall and wider institutional regulatory framework. Turkey’s reaction is diplomatic with the announcement of the Foreign Ministry, but it is obvious that in the next phase, when the time comes to implement specific activities, each country should defend the sovereign rights it attempts to register with the MSS.
As the MSS, among the activities it regulates, also concerns the areas of pipelines and cables, the issue of the Crete -Cyprus electric interconnection will remain in the news and will be a point of friction with Turkey. THE Mr. George Gerapetritis He again spoke of “appropriate timing, as it is a complex project”, stating that all projects will continue normally. Of course, the repetition of research cannot be postponed indefinitely and will perhaps be one of the first crash tests for the MS himself.
Also a significant test will also be the designation of marine parks in the Aegean, where the government had stated that they would be adopted by the end of 2024, despite Turkey’s strong reactions, as they also include actions on rocky islands which it considers “gray zones”.
Of course, Greece, fully following the law of the sea and having the umbrella of the acquis Community, gives greater validity to the Greek BSE over what Turkey will present, which essentially follows the well -known alchemies, which reflects its claims to the Aegean and the Aegean. This is a unilateral deposit, as Turkish media wrote, at … UNESCO.
Gerapetritis
THE Greek Foreign Minister In an interview (to SKAI) he implied that this development imposes anyone who disagrees with the MSS to take a dialogue to find a solution through international jurisdiction, referring to the issue of conclusions to refer the dispute to the Hague.
However, the maps of the BSUs (subject to the publication of the official Turkish map) are not the ones who can change the data so far in Greek -Turkish relationswhere the differences due to Turkey’s claims are known. And it is clear that they are not changing the situation so far, where Turkey is blackmailing to impose a dialogue with Greece with all the material with Greece, which will include all its unilateral claims, with the first step in bilateral trading.
For Athens, the necessary reflection of its claims on the potential continental shelf under the law of the sea was one of the same as to take the next steps concerning the implementation of the MSS. However, it is also necessary to submit the coordinates of these potential marine zones to the UN, as well as steps such as the closure of the vagina and the determination of the straight line lines used for the current CUS calculations. And yet, the implementation of the planning for partial expansion of territorial waters up to 12 nm. which, as announced, would concern the area south of Crete.
On the other hand, there has been a bold and difficult step for the government, as the adoption of the MSS map is likely to give the impression – and to public opinion – that these zones are already acquired, which is not accurate. Marine zones, such as the EEZ, must be declared and of course delineated, which is done through bilateral agreements or by referring to the Hague.
The performance of a full influence on Kastelorizo, which thus offers Greece borders with Cyprus and cuts out of Turkey’s border with Egypt, is something that will arise either by agreement, or by the Hague International Court of Justice, where the chances of Greece are not the case.
Thus, now the current government and the subsequent Greek governments will have the difficult task, since in the future there is an agreement with Turkey to refer to the Hague, to explain and apologize for the possible loss of the full influence of Kastelorizo, which is now reflected.
And this is clear that it creates additional burden and responsibility for any government that is in the position of negotiating with Turkey. And this is not only about Kastellorizo, but also the marine zones claimed for all the islands and islands of the Aegean.
Information
Ankara was prepared for the approval of the Greek government by the Greek government, as there was information and was known for April 27th. European court.
It was not accidental to leak to Milliyet, shortly before the announcement of the Greek BSE, the information and the map of the Turkish HSS. But this is not a formal document but work of National Research Center for the Sea and Maritime Law of the University of Ankara (Deniz Hukuku Ulusal Araştırma Merkezi – Dehukam). The research institution notes that it is an academic study and does not reflect the official position of the Turkish Republic, nor does it indicate its jurisdiction. The presidency of the Turkish Republic is responsible for the issuance of the Turkish MSS.
However, the fact that the Turkish side hastened to respond to Greece with the publication of this map, it is estimated that the study of the Ankara University Foundation will form the basis for the issuance of the MSS, which will be speeded up to give immediate response to Greece.
Of course, the Turkish study follows the whole grid of Turkish claims, as it insists that it follows the midline between the two continental coasts, thus deleting every influence of the Greek islands and transferring the midline to the center of the Aegean. The same study also fully adopts the unilateral and arbitrary deposition of the external boundaries of the Turkish continental shelf/EEZ with the letter to the UN (18 March 2020, A/74/757), which forms its basis “Blue Homeland”as well as the Turquoisebut also the illegal boundary agreement with the pseudo -state.
The Turkish study also has a reference to the Berne Protocol, which has become inactive for Greece, on the basis of which the Turkish side states that Greece must abstain from any activity outside its territorial waters (6 nm), that is, areas that have not been defined even if they are defined.