Eastern Greece and Turkey face each other in the Aegean Sea, both geographically and in terms of territorial disputes. This historical struggle between Greece and Turkey has been aggravated since the discovery of underwater ressources.
Context of the Aegean dispute
Historical origins and treaties
The Aegean Sea has a surface area of 83,000 miles and contains over 150 islands. The dispute began in 1829 with Greece’s emancipation from the Ottoman Empire and continued through treaty’s attempts to resolve the conflict. After the Second Balkan War, Greece expanded its territory by including Crete thanks to the Treaty of Athens made to sanction the Ottoman for the First Balkan War.
Most of the Aegean islands became Greek in the same year, the Treaty of Athens in 1913 gave Greece the northern islands in the Aegean and the Treaty of Bucharest gave Greece the Dodecanese islands, Lemnos, Thasos and Somthrace.
However, Greece had to demilitarize these islands according to the Treaty of Lausanne in 1923. This treaty also requires Greece and Turkey to keep the Dardanelles open to civilian ships and the islands of Imbros and Tenedos demilitarized. These last two islands were given to Turkey by the treaty signed after the Greek-Turkish war of 1919-1922.
This specific point, the demilitarization of the islands, is one of the main points of divergence and source of dispute between Greece and Turkey.
Diplomatic and Military Dimensions
Military presence and manoeuvres in the region
Today, the demilitarization of these islands is open to interpretation by both Greece and Turkey. Turkey accuses Greece of violating the Lausanne Treaty, while Greece uses the Montreux Treaty of 1936 to militarize its islands. In response, Turkey maintains a military presence in Anatolia and invaded Chypre in 1974, in violation of all treaties.
Although Cyprus is not in the Aegean Sea, this invasion has been carried out because of the tensions between the two countries.
Greece also justifies its militarization in the Aegean on the grounds that it is a member of NATO and therefore has the right to protect itself. In 1974, Turkey established the “Aegean Army” in Izmir to protect its west coast.
Erdogan, the former president of Turkey, announced that he “will not be passive if Greece maintains a military presence in the Aegean”. In March 2023, Turkey carried out a missile test in the Aegean Sea.
Economic and resource considerations
The situation between the two countries has deteriorated since the discovery of hydrocarbon fields. In 1973, oil was discovered in Thasos, fueling Turkey’s desire to explore the depths. According to the European Council on Foreign Relations, there are 3.5 trillion barrels of natural gas in the Mediterranean. In the Aegean Sea, it also constitutes a large part of the potential resources. In 2020, the seismic ship Oruç Reis, escorted by a Turkish warship, entered Greek waters near a hydrocarbons field, provoking Greece’s sovereignty. Near the island of Imia, the two countries accuse each other of military misconduct. Turkey also claims further EEZ measures based on the continental shelf in order to obtain more access to exploration.
Continental shelf and EEZ delimitation
Disputes over territorial waters
The continental shelf is extremely limited by its depth and the islands and islets are very close to each other. In this zone, it is very difficult to determine the boundary between the two countries. As Turkey is not a signatory to the Montego Bay Convention, it is impossible to determine the structure of maritime territories in the Aegean Sea. Territory claim from both sides, different treaty use and the complex area make it very difficult for a commission to statute, even if the UNCLOS convention applies in this zone. Turkey asks for a maritime boundary that does not alter its sovereignty, following international law.
The importance of ongoing dialogue and legal frameworks
For Alexis Heraclides, author of The Greek-Turkish Conflict in the Aegean, Imagined Enemies, published in 2010, the main reason for the conflict is the “fear of each other”. The secessionist wars contributed to the creation of separatism, both on the Turkish side and on the Greek side. These tensions have weakened NATO relations and destabilized Europe. An open dialogue is essential to maintain peace in the region. However, since 1978, the two countries have not been reunited to discuss this matter. They only reunited in 2002. Although this meeting helped the countries to discuss the issue for four years, no agreement was reached on the ZEE.
During the 1980s, NATO and Europe tried to find an agreement between the two, but Turkey has refused Western help since the Treaty of Sevres, wich some call “The Sevres Syndrome”… Recently, Greece announced its intention to extend its territorial waters, as established by UNCLOS, to 12 miles. In response, Turkey is threatening to open the migrant gates to Europe.
However, if Turkey wants to join the EU, the country’s politicians would have make effort to resolve this issue.
