The alphabet of Greek -Turkish relations: EEZ and continental shelf

With the Turkish side pursuing and constantly triggering tension in Aegeanwe hear and read on a daily basis now for words such as EEZ; shelf; gray zoneseven territorial waters. Words that have been unknown to us so far or at least confused in our minds. How sure we are that we know accurately what each of them mean?

In this New Podcast 4 episode series of SKAI entitled ‘The alphabet of Greek -Turkish relations“, The journalist Stefanos Nikolaidis He discusses with the Professor of International Law at Panteion University and ND MP, Angelfor the importance of basic and fundamental concepts around the Greek -Turkish relations.

Episode 2: EEZ and continental shelf

To second episode of the series, Angel Syrigos answers the great question of the Greek -Turkish: What do the words ‘EEZ’ mean and “shelfAnd Why should we only discuss them with Turkey?

You can hear the whole episode here.

What does shelf mean

It is important to know that The continental shelf is an older institution than the EEZThat is why it is advisable to start with it when we compare these concepts.

What do we mean when we say ‘continental shelf’;

First, it is a one geological termwho refers to the seabed of the sea to the point that does not have a very steep slope. But this definition concerns the geological level.

With the passage of years a one was created a legal meaning of the continental shelf, which is as follows: continental shelf is the bottom and subsoilwhich extend up to 200 miles off the shores and starting to calculate them from the shoresbut the measure them starts where the coastal zone ends.

In the continental shelf a state has no sovereignty, as it has in the coastal zone. But it has Exclusive sovereign rights in terms of research and exploitation of resources in the seabed and subsoil.

In Greek -Turkish we should know that this about 200 nautical miles off the coast is nowhere in the Mediterranean. In order for a state to fully develop its continental shelf, it must abstain at least 400 miles From another state, that is, 200 miles one state, 200 miles the other state to fully develop their continental shelf. There is nowhere in the Mediterranean there are these distances.

Therefore, in this case it occurs delineation issue. That is, the continental shelf of the two countries, which is opposite each other, must be delimited. And here’s the problems with Turkey.

What does the Turkish side support

Let’s see what Turkey says first, because we will understand why Greece reacts.

At some point Turkey published the 1973 a map in which The Turkish continental shelf was overflowing the Greek islands and reached the middle of the Aegean. For example, Lesvos had only coastal zone and the Turkish continental shelf was far behind it.

When this map first came up, Greece reacted with surprise for the following reason: From the 1959 up to 1973 Greece had given many licenses to foreign companies to come to research the Aegean and see if there is oil. Turkey had never reacted. The reason the map came out then, in November 1973, was because a month ago it broke out in the Israel the Yom Kipur war and immediately after the Arabian countries who were members of International Oil Production Organization decided to impose oil embargo In the Western countries for the help they had offered to Israel.

This resulted in a few months or Price of oil to quadruple. That is, if we say, for example, the price of gasoline is less than 2 euros, within 4-5 months it reaches 8 euros. This caused huge problems, as society was based on very cheap oil at that time. Thus, the problems in power generation began, as states used exclusively oil for power generation. The roads were emptied by cars, because one could not fill their tank with such a large amount. And the West passed on to one huge financial crisis.

So at this stage of the financial crisis, the Turkey was informed that an oil deposit had been found outside Thassos. In Greece we had dictatorship. Were the days of the Technical University, where the Ioannidis threw him Papadopoulos And we later had the second dictatorship with Ioannides.

So Ioannidis and the regime They let the picture pass that in the case of Thassos we had ocean oilwho would not only solve the problem of Greece, but Greece could become an export country.

It should be noted that 3-4 years ago he was found in the North Sea oil deposit from their Norwegian and then many other oil deposits than their British. And all of a sudden these countries began to acquire enormous economic importance. Turkey thought that The Aegean was a new north sea And he thought, “Why don’t I participate in the Aegean oil producing wealth?”

The Greek reaction and all the truth about “Petroleum in the Aegean”

Greece reactedbut the problems start since then and continue to this day.

Today is approximately indifferent If it has the Aegean oil or notbecause in all these years since it was found that the real wealth of the Aegean is its excellent natural environment, which came 35 million tourists last year to visit our country. They didn’t come to see the oils, they came to see the wonderful islands, the coasts, all these things.

No one is going to put drilling in the Aegean at this time, to see if there is oil or does not exist. Indeed, the evidence so far show that there are probably no serious oil deposits. Even deposit on the prin found in the process that it was much smaller than expected and has been exhausted for several years.

The crucial point is that starting from there, a ‘developed’ ‘Ventals »Turkish Claimswhich with the passage of years proceeded to the exclusive economic zone; left the Aegean boundaries and went to East Mediterranean. So, while in 1974 we were talking about the demarcation of the Aegean continental shelf, we are now talking about the demarcation of shelf and EEZ in the Aegean and in the Eastern Mediterranean.

Therefore it is Myth how things remain static. The fact that while we used to speak only about continental shelf and only about the Aegean and now we are talking about EEZ and Eastern Mediterranean, it proves that things do not stay static.

What does EEZ mean and where is different with the continental shelf

OR EEZ (Economic zone) is the shelfthat is, the bottom and subsoil of an area along with the water column over the seabed. This is the difference. That is, while the continental shelf is the bottom and the subsoil, the EEZ is the bottom and the subsoil plus the column of water.

When discussed at UN Conference on Sea Law If the two institutions should be merged, the final decision taken was to remain distinct. But it is a fact that there are great similarities in too many things.

Where are there differences?

A difference very important is that while In the continental shelf you have the right to research and exploit; In the EEZ you have the right to protect the marine environment.

It is recalled that In territorial waters a state exerts complete sovereignty, while In EEZ and continental shelf has sovereign rights specifically concerning research and at exploitation of bottom and his subsoil in the continental shelf and in the case of the EEZ and the water column, but with the possibility of protecting and preserving the wealthy sources, that is, the marine environment.

This is a big and meaningful difference. That is, if it has an EEZ, you can save fish whose population is in danger of the Aegean. Only with a continental shelf you can’t save the fish.

Still, the conditional shelf can extend beyond 200 miles. This is not the case in the Mediterranean region, but it occurs in large oceans. In the Pacific, for example, where the geological continental shelf can become part of the legal continental shelf over 200 miles to 350 miles.

And there is yet another essential difference: The continental shelf does not need to be declared. A state has a beach at the moment, it has shores, has the right to be entitled to its continental shelf without preaching it. EEZ should preach it.

The main difference between Greece – Turkey?

The main difference between Greece and Turkey is that the Greece considers that the islands have their own continental shelfwhile the Turkey denies any continental shelf in the islands. He believes that the continental shelf has only continental coasts.

From there the problem begins and that is why Turkey claims an area to the middle of the Aegean, which is also related to Blue.