Turki vs Yunani: Konflik Laut Aegea Kembali Memanas
Ankara – A long-standing dispute in the Aegean Sea between Turkey and Greece continues to contribute to a growing list of international conflicts. Despite the tensions, both nations are reportedly seeking renewed dialogue, with a High-Level Cooperation Council meeting scheduled to take place in Ankara beginning February 9th.
Renewed Talks Amidst Persistent Disputes
The meeting is expected to include Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, potentially opening the door for a separate, dedicated bilateral discussion. The Greece-Turkey High-Level Cooperation Council was initially established in 2010 following a period of heightened tensions in the Eastern Mediterranean.
However, the council’s track record has been limited, primarily serving as a platform for “positive agenda” items between the two NATO members, particularly in the economic and tourism sectors. The last meeting occurred in December 2023 in Athens, where fundamental disagreements remained unresolved.
Conflicting Claims and Maritime Assertions
According to Konstantinos Filis, Director of Research at the Athens International Relations Institute, “Turkey is putting forward unilateral demands and territorial claims that have no legal basis and are not worth discussing.” Fuat Aksu, a political scientist at Yildiz Technical University in Turkey, stated that “Greece hopes Turkey will meet demands and make concessions.”
Recent tensions have escalated with a new point of contention. On January 29th, Turkey issued a Navtex warning – a standard maritime safety system notification – regarding security risks and Greek military activity. Such warnings have been issued previously.
This Navtex warning is viewed as an assertion of authority by Turkey, as the two countries have long disputed jurisdiction over maritime security in the Aegean. Greece considers the action an illegal attempt to expand its sovereign territory, with Greek media, To Vima, labeling it a “new provocation.”
Ankara has dismissed these accusations, maintaining that the Navtex warning was a routine action within the existing legal framework. Pro-government Turkish media suggested the Navtex warning “triggered panic in Greece and changed the status quo in the Aegean.”
Domestic Political Pressures
For Prime Minister Mitsotakis, the dispute adds pressure from the right wing of Greek politics, with accusations that he is allowing Turkey to seize control of half of the Aegean Sea. Kyriakos Velopoulos, leader of the right-populist Greek Solution party, stated, “Turkey is seizing half of the Aegean, but our government sees no reason to worry.”
Long-Standing Territorial Disputes
The core of the dispute has persisted for decades, revolving around disagreements over continental shelves off the Turkish coast, resource exploitation, and the potential expansion of territorial waters in the Aegean. Turkey’s military doctrine, known as Blue Homeland, claims over 450,000 square kilometers of maritime territory around its coastline, referencing the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea.
Notably, Turkey has not signed the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, but many legal experts argue that it reflects customary international law and is therefore binding, even for non-ratifying states. The convention allows nations to establish territorial waters up to 12 nautical miles, with a key exception for overlapping or unclear boundaries requiring bilateral agreement.
This is where the impasse lies. In 1995, the Turkish parliament declared any expansion of Greek territorial waters in the Aegean as a casus belli, arguing it would transform the Aegean into a “Greek inland sea.” Athens expanded its territorial waters to 12 miles in the Ionian Sea in 2021, and maintains its right to do the same in the Aegean.
“That right remains,” stated Greek Defense Minister Nikos Dendias to Open television. Theoretically, the International Court of Justice in The Hague offers a final recourse, but it requires the consent of both parties to jointly submit the case – a discussion that has been ongoing since 1976 without resolution.
The renewed conflict between Turkey and Greece adds to a broader landscape of international disputes, alongside strained relations between the United States and Iran, and the ongoing war in Gaza, Palestine.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the primary source of conflict between Turkey and Greece?
The primary source of conflict is a long-standing dispute over maritime boundaries, territorial waters, and resource exploitation in the Aegean Sea.
What is the role of the High-Level Cooperation Council?
The High-Level Cooperation Council was established in 2010 to foster dialogue and cooperation between Greece and Turkey, primarily focusing on economic and tourism sectors, but has had limited success in resolving core disagreements.
What is the Navtex system and why is it relevant to the dispute?
Navtex is a maritime safety system used to issue warnings about potential hazards. Turkey’s recent issuance of a Navtex warning regarding Greek military activity is seen as an assertion of authority and a point of contention in the ongoing dispute over maritime security in the Aegean.
As both nations prepare for further discussions, will the upcoming meetings yield tangible progress towards resolving these deeply entrenched disagreements, or will the Aegean Sea remain a focal point of regional instability?