The ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan is seeking to grant him the authority to declare an exclusive economic zone extending up to 200 nautical miles from Turkey’s coastline, without taking into account the potential EEZ claims of other countries such as Greece or Cyprus.
According to a report by Bloomberh, the draft legislation being prepared by the party would authorise Erdoğan to assert Turkey’s rights over fishing, mining and drilling activities, as well as to establish marine parks, including in disputed waters in the Aegean Sea and the Eastern Mediterranean.
Response to Greece and Cyprus
The report said the move was intended as a response to Greek and Cypriot claims in the gas-rich waters of the Eastern Mediterranean and to demonstrate that Ankara could not be sidelined, citing sources familiar with the matter.
Under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, coastal states may establish exclusive economic zones extending up to 200 nautical miles from their shores. Where claims overlap, bilateral agreements are required.
Turkey, which has not ratified the convention, rejects Greece’s position that maritime boundaries should be determined by its islands, some of which lie close to the Turkish coast. Instead, Ankara argues that continental shelf boundaries should be measured from the mainland.
US and EU involvement
Turkey also maintains that island states such as Cyprus are entitled only to rights within their territorial waters, which can extend up to 12 nautical miles. The self-declared “Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus”, recognised only by Ankara, also claims rights over any energy resources discovered off the Cypriot coast.
Bloomberg further reported that the United States has encouraged Greece and Turkey to maintain dialogue over disputes linked to oil and gas exploration, while the European Union has previously threatened sanctions against Turkey over drilling activities in contested waters following pressure from Greece and Cyprus.
Separately, Erdoğan used the informal summit of the Organization of Turkic States in Kazakhstan to send a message of support to northern Cyprus, urging Turkic states to strengthen political, economic and cultural ties with the territory.
Turkish Cypriots
In his speech, the Turkish president said that “another element that makes this summit especially important for us is the representation among us of the Turkish Cypriot people, who are an inseparable part of the Turkic world”.
Referring to Turkish Cypriot leader Tufan Erhürman, Erdoğan said he was pleased to see him attending the summit in Turkistan and expressed hope that “the Turkic world will continue strengthening its political, economic and cultural relations” with northern Cyprus.
Erdoğan also linked developments in the wider region to the need for greater unity among Turkic states, arguing that recent regional crises had once again demonstrated “the strategic value of solidarity within the Turkic world”.
Defence deals
His address placed particular emphasis on artificial intelligence, digital development and cybersecurity, warning that technological backwardness could become a threat to national independence.
The Turkish president also called on member states to strengthen cooperation in the defence industry and said Ankara was ready to share its experience in defence technologies with other members of the organisation.
He additionally highlighted the importance of the so-called “Middle Corridor”, saying developments around the Strait of Hormuz underscored the importance of alternative trade and transport routes linking the Turkic world.
The summit, held under the theme “Artificial Intelligence and Digital Development”, was attended by leaders including Ilham Aliyev, Shavkat Mirziyoyev, Sadyr Japarov and Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, who welcomed Erdoğan to the Turkistan Congress Centre.
Erdoğan also announced that the next summit of the organisation’s leaders would take place in Ankara before the end of the year.
