Turkey is preparing to submit a bill to parliament to assert maritime jurisdiction in disputed areas of the Aegean and Mediterranean Seas, according to people familiar with the matter, risking heightened tensions in a region with existing and potential natural gas deposits.
The draft law is the first step by Turkey to solidify its claims and officially declare ownership to potential natural gas resources, said the people who spoke on condition of anonymity.
Turkey is set on defending its interests and those of the self-declared Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus in the Eastern Mediterranean gas race, a hotspot of overlapping territorial claims. This week, a top ally of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan warned over security and energy cooperation among France, Greece, Cyprus and Israel.
“Turkey is not a country that seeks tension,” Devlet Bahceli, the leader of the Nationalist Movement Party, told the parliament on Wednesday. “But any move ignoring its rights, maritime jurisdiction areas or the Turkish Cypriots will meet a firm response.”
Turkey’s potential claims could risk renewing tensions with European Union member states Greece and Cyprus. Offshore gas reserves off the Republic of Cyprus are especially nettlesome as the country officially has sovereignty over the entire island.
Party-Benefit5112 on
I like how the greek islands and Cyprus are completely surrounded by Turkey’s claimed eez. Erdogan had a dream islands aren’t entitled to eez and now that’s something we need to work with apparently.
englishjacko on
Even if you ignored Kastellorizo (and why should Turkey be entitled to do that?), Turkey’s claim doesn’t remotely follow the median point between Rhodes/Karpathos and the Turkish shoreline.
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Turkey is preparing to submit a bill to parliament to assert maritime jurisdiction in disputed areas of the Aegean and Mediterranean Seas, according to people familiar with the matter, risking heightened tensions in a region with existing and potential natural gas deposits.
The draft law is the first step by Turkey to solidify its claims and officially declare ownership to potential natural gas resources, said the people who spoke on condition of anonymity.
Turkey is set on defending its interests and those of the self-declared Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus in the Eastern Mediterranean gas race, a hotspot of overlapping territorial claims. This week, a top ally of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan warned over security and energy cooperation among France, Greece, Cyprus and Israel.
“Turkey is not a country that seeks tension,” Devlet Bahceli, the leader of the Nationalist Movement Party, told the parliament on Wednesday. “But any move ignoring its rights, maritime jurisdiction areas or the Turkish Cypriots will meet a firm response.”
Turkey’s potential claims could risk renewing tensions with European Union member states Greece and Cyprus. Offshore gas reserves off the Republic of Cyprus are especially nettlesome as the country officially has sovereignty over the entire island.
I like how the greek islands and Cyprus are completely surrounded by Turkey’s claimed eez. Erdogan had a dream islands aren’t entitled to eez and now that’s something we need to work with apparently.
Even if you ignored Kastellorizo (and why should Turkey be entitled to do that?), Turkey’s claim doesn’t remotely follow the median point between Rhodes/Karpathos and the Turkish shoreline.