Border Issues in the Eastern Mediterranean: An assessment on Turkey (original) (raw)
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Is the Crisis in the Eastern Mediterranean: Is it About Energy or Sovereignty?
Uluslararası Kriz ve Siyaset Araştırmaları Dergisi, 2021
In this article the reasons for the crisis in the Eastern Mediterranean is analyzed. The analysis shows that the crisis in the Eastern Mediterranean is not merely one of maritime jurisdiction or energy but also one of sovereignty. Additionally, the crisis, which started as a territorial dispute and/or conflicts over sharing of energy resources between Turkey and Greece, later revealed global power interests at work, including the EU's effort to diversify its natural resources, America and China's struggle for control of the waterways in the region and Russia's drive to expand in the Eastern Mediterranean.
AN ASSESMENT OF THE EASTERN MEDITERRANEAN TURKEY-LIBYA MARITIME BOUNDARY DELIMITATION AGREEMENT, 2020
In recent years, the Eastern Mediterranean hydrocarbon discoveries is one of the hot topic. Related to it, maritime jurisdiction area disputes have occurred in the region. The most important one is the Turkey-TRNC and GCA’s dispute. Turkey, made an agreement with Libya on November, 2019 against ongoing conflict and unlawful activities. As a result of it, Turkey and Libya became coastal neighbors, and two littoral states. Agreement has strong impact on entire political and economic situation in the Eastern Mediterranean, particularly, regional and global actors competition on energy resources. Agreement will definitely change proxy war balances which is conducted by global actors such as the USA, Russia and the European Union (EU). The ongoing civil war in Libya is the determinant and the passive of this agreement. Regional and global actors reacted very sharply to the agreement because of their interest and plans about region are deteriorated. In this study, the impact of the agreement on Eastern Mediterranean hydrocarbon activities, regional and global actors, Libyan Civil War, Eastmed Pipeline project and the Turkey-TRNC-GCA dispute are evaluated. Agreement’s legality is analyzed accompanying with Libya’s political situation and diplomatic relations with Turkey. Finally, Turkey’s important role and place in the Eastern Mediterranean is considered to explain the importance of the agreement.
2020
In recent years, the Eastern Mediterranean hydrocarbon discoveries is one of the hot topic. Related to it, maritime jurisdiction area disputes have occurred in the region. The most important one is the Turkey-Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) and Greek Cypriot State (GCA) dispute. Turkey, made an agreement with Libya on November, 2019 against ongoing dispute and unlawful activities. As a result of it, Turkey and Libya became coastal neighbors, and two littoral states. Agreement has strong impact on entire political and economic situation in the Eastern Mediterranean, particularly, regional and global actors competition on energy resources. Agreement will definitely change proxy war balances which is conducted by global actors such as the USA, Russia and the European Union (EU). The ongoing civil war in Libya is the active and passive component of this agreement. Regional and global actors reacted very sharply to the agreement because of their interest and plans about region are deteriorated. In this study, the impact of the agreement on Eastern Mediterranean hydrocarbon activities, regional and global actors, Libyan Civil War, Eastmed Pipeline project and the Turkey-TRNC-GCA dispute are evaluated. Agreement's legality is analyzed accompanying with Libya's political situation and diplomatic relations with Turkey. Finally, Turkey's important role and place in the Eastern Mediterranean is considered to explain the importance of the agreement.
Reflections on the Sovereignty Dispute for Hydrocarbon Resources in the Eastern Mediterranean
2022
This study examines the sovereignty claims of the Greek Cypriot Administration (GCA-Republic of Cyprus), Turkey and Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus as littoral states in the Eastern Mediterranean Sea regarding the delimitation of the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) and the Continental Shelf (CS). Although the GCA (as namely Republic of Cyprus) is a signatory of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), it has signed bilateral agreements with Egypt, Israel, and Lebanon. However, the GCA has neglected the existence of the frozen conflict in the island and is therefore faced with the reactions-challenges of Turkey and the TRNC after its decision to give licenses to MNCs and start the drilling process. Turkey and the TRNC have claimed their own sovereignty rights in regard to the Exclusive Economic Zone and Continental Shelf, which resulted in the agreements between TPAO (Turkish Energy Company) and the TRNC. Additionally, Turkey has started to conduct seismic surveys in the northern part of Cyprus and southern part of Turkey on the basis of the equal sharing principle. The lack of a comprehensive solution to the Cyprus problem is the basic source of the sovereignty dispute on the delimitation of EEZ and CS among Turkey, the TRNC and GCA, which is also reflected in the hydrocarbon surveys.
The 1982 United Nations' Convention of the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) is the main document of international law, which regulates the various issues concerning the establishment of an Exclusive Economic Zone (ΕΕΖ) and the delimitation of maritime zones in general. The recent developments in the energy resources' sector in Southeastern Mediterranean Sea are changing the geopolitical environment and creating a pressure need for high policy actions for all the littoral states, thus for both the Cypriot and the Greek government. The energy resources of the region should be exploited for the energy security of EU and Western / Central Europe, in order to diversify the producing sources. Nevertheless, for the smooth implementation of such a project the unsettled maritime delimitation issues of the region have to be effectually addressed instead of remaining a point of friction among the adjacent states.
Anemon Muş Alparslan Üniversitesi Sosyal Bilimler Dergisi
The Eastern Mediterranean (EM) has endured significant geopolitical alterations in the last decade through the new oil and natural discoveries. The energy issues in the region present geostrategic inferences for the states to assure their economic, politic and geostrategic interests and also accelerate the rivalry among the surrounding states and external powers. In addition, new oil and natural sources discoveries have triggered and increased regional insecurity and instability. Turkey with her geopolitical position is one part of the rivalry in the context of the new geopolitics of the Mediterranean. As a rival, Turkey has struggled for and maintaining its economic and geopolitical interests. Moreover, Turkey aims to be a regional energy hub in the region as a transit route and by its growing gas market. Turkey has distinctly presented a pretentious foreign policy approach with multilateral diplomacy and military deterrence in the regional political debates. The article analyses Turkey's geostrategic vision and its effects on Turkey's Turkey's foreign and energy security policies.
The Turkish Yearbook of International Relations, 2021
With the exploration of hydrocarbon reserves since the early 2000s, the Eastern Mediterranean has become the focus of attention of global and regional actors. Following the exploration of oil and gas resources, some littoral states signed maritime delimitation agreements. However, due to the fact that the region is geographically a narrow sea, the disputed maritime jurisdiction areas of the parties caused several political problems. One important aspect of the political disputes in the Eastern Mediterranean (Cyprus problem, Arab-Israeli conflict, etc) is related with the undecided maritime jurisdiction areas in the region. This dispute is between Greece, Turkey, Cyprus (North and South), Israel, Egypt, Libya, Syria, Lebanon and the UK in the Eastern Mediterranean. This problem has become more important with the offshore hydrocarbon explorations (oil and gas) carried out around Cyprus. In this context, this article will analyse the delimitation of the maritime areas in the region and the recent hydrocarbon exploration activities. It will mostly focus on the Turkish view about the delimitation of maritime jurisdiction areas in the Eastern Mediterranean in terms of principles of international law of the sea.
In summary, the analysis taken place in this article, examined the new geopolitical aspect of the Mediterranean Sea, and, particularly what is currently happening in its Eastern basin. The main focus-point was the geopolitical implications of the recent discoveries of significant energy reserves in this region. The discovered hydrocarbon reserves of the Southeastern Med can and should play an important role in supplying the EU with natural gas in the long run. Therefore, the neighboring states of Eastern Med, especially Cyprus, Israel, Greece and Turkey, should seek to maximize their role as alternative suppliers of the European Union. This prospect, with the expected future outcome of providing the first non-Russian gas of the so-called southern European energy corridor, imposes considerable benefits, particularly in relation to potential European funding for a pipeline construction (Eastern Med Pipeline), which will transfer to Central and Western Europe large amounts of natural gas, as well as other relevant projects. For the time being the main issue at stake is that the energy resources near Cyprus can be exploited for the energy security of EU. Other important protagonists of the international arena are also part of the complex equation, with NATO and EU standing out. Therefore, the first conclusion to be drawn here is that geopolitical confrontations and changes in the region will continue in the near future. Nevertheless, linked to the geopolitical dimension there is one more essential parameter; that of International Law of the Sea. UNCLOS provides the necessary framework to define the limits of maritime boundaries between adjacent states, since it is the core document of international conventional law, which regulates issues related to the establishment and delimitation of ΕΕΖs. For the moment the question of delimitation of maritime zone boundaries in Southeastern Med remains a point of friction for many of the states involved in. The abovementioned analysis highlighted, inter alia, the decisions made from the Republic of Cyprus and their conformity with international law provisions. Now, it is the turn of the Greek government to take decisive action upon the question of the EEZ in full conformity with international law and in trusting cooperation with its neighboring states, since there are many interested parts meeting in the region, as well as other important protagonists of the international arena with NATO and EU standing out.
Hydrocarbon Riches and Boundary Disputes: The Eastern Mediterranean’s Geopolitical Chessboard
ConnectiveThink Research Center, 2024
The Eastern Mediterranean has become a highly contested region due to its rich hydrocarbon resources and complex maritime boundary disputes. Coastal nations, including Cyprus, Turkey, Greece, and Egypt, have engaged in extensive negotiations over their Exclusive Economic Zones (EEZs), exacerbated by the involvement of external powers and strategic interests. Disputes often center on the delimitation of maritime zones, particularly when islands are involved, as their inclusion in boundary negotiations complicates matters. The discovery of significant gas reserves has intensified tensions, fueling geopolitical rivalries and shifting regional alliances. This paper examines the historical and contemporary developments in the region, focusing on the key actors, their competing claims, and the broader geopolitical implications of these maritime disputes. It explores how these issues have influenced relations between the regional states and shaped the energy landscape in the Eastern Mediterranean.