Turkey and Greece, part I: the Aegean

Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu’s visit to Greece two weeks ago produced the usual positive rhetoric about a “new impetus” in Turkish-Greek relations, but a closer look reveals growing strain and urgency. With the Cyprus issue in deadlock, the main issues under discussion are territorial disputes in the Aegean and illegal immigration into the EU through the Turkish-Greek border.

Last week, Greek Foreign Minister Dmitirios Droutsas named June 12 of this year (the date of Turkey’s general elections) as the deadline for the closed-door exploratory talks between the two countries. The thought behind the new deadline is that with the AKP’s consolidated political power after the election, the ruling party will be able to push through the unpopular compromises necessary to resolve the territorial disputes.

Facing domestic pressure and European criticism due to its financial crisis and growing inability to deal with illegal immigrants, at the moment Greece holds a rather weak position in its bargaining with Turkey. It remains to be seen whether the AKP will be more willing to compromise after a certain electoral victory in June, and to what degree the Turkish military will cooperate with the government’s decision.

Territorial disputes in the Aegean

On March 12, a Turkish warship near Crete harassed an Italian exploration ship that had permission from Greece to explore a possible fiber optic cable route from Italy to Israel. On March 15, another warship entered the territorial waters of the Greek island Skiros. Both incidents prompted formal complaints from the Greek government.

These incursions are common due to a fundamental disagreement between Greece and Turkey on territorial boundaries in the Aegean Sea. Turkey measures the continental shelf from the continental mainland (which splits the Aegean down the median line except for the territorial waters around eastern Greek islands), whereas Greece counts its islands as continuations of the continental shelf (which makes the entire sea Greek territory). According to Davutoğlu, the International Law of the Sea cannot be applied in the case of the Aegean due to its complexity, rendering

Although compromises have been placed on the table, they aren’t amounting to anything as of yet. Turkey has said it will lift its casus belli (cause of war) resolution if Greece agrees not to extend its territorial waters to 12 nautical miles from the current 6 miles. Droutsas has stated that these two conditions are “not comparable” and that Greece will not waive its right granted by international law, despite Turkey’s refusal to acknowledge its jurisdiction. If these territorial disputes cannot be resolved through the ongoing exploratory talks, which appears likely, after June 12 the case will be taken to the International Court of Justice at the Hague according to Droutsas.

While there has been a relative drop in tensions over the past ten years, the Aegean remains a hot issue for both countries. Davutoğlu insisted during his visit that “Greece should get over the idea that Turkey has claims to islands in the Aegean and Turkey should stop being afraid of being excluded from the Aegean,” but neither side seems to buy it. The Greek press reacted angrily to a recent comment from the Turkish foreign minister that the Greek island Kastelorizo was actually located in the Mediterranean (and not the Aegean). The issue here is not one of sovereignty but of trade, as the creation of an exclusive economic zone around Kastelorizo would unite those of Greece and Cyprus, economically isolating Turkey. Yet a continued heavy military presence in the Aegean will likely fuel suspicious public opinion well into the future, regardless of what the diplomats and politicians say.

According to Davutoğlu both countries are working to solve the issue of military flights over the Aegean, another cause of numerous diplomatic crises in the past. In Turkey’s case, however, this depends more on the Turkish military than on the ruling party. Though Davutoğlu insisted otherwise during his visit, the AKP has little direct control over the military and may not be able to curb the frequent Aegean excursions of Turkish fighter jets. Until the Turkish military decides to keep its planes in check, Greece will no doubt continue military flights over its own territory.