Greek-Turkish maritime border dispute could be resolved before the ICJ

The day after his meeting with the Turkish president on the fringes of the NATO summit, the Greek prime minister said he hoped to resolve the maritime border dispute with Turkey before the International Court of Justice in The Hague.

The two countries have long been at loggerheads over the delimitation of the exclusive economic zones (EEZs). This is an important issue for energy exploration rights in this area.

Discussions between experts from the two countries began in 2000, but were interrupted.

The resumption of these discussions is de facto linked to two crucial stages. They will determine whether Athens and Ankara will be able to achieve tangible results with regard to bilateral disputes.

The first stage is the new meeting between Mitsotakis and Erdogan scheduled for September on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly. The second is the High-Level Cooperation Council between Greece and Turkey, to be held in November in Thessaloniki.

A resolution of the Greek-Turkish maritime border dispute will ensure stability in this part of the world.