Greek-Turkish disagreement over the delimitation of the Aegean Sea

Abstract

Greek-Turkish disagreement over the Aegean Sea is caused by different approaches to the delimitation of the Aegean Sea shelf. Greece believes that each of the Greek Islands in the Aegean Sea has its own territorial waters and continental shelf, which Greece can expand into. Turkey believes that the Aegean Sea is a special semiclosed sea, the delimitation of which should be based on the principle of equality, and that the Greek Islands are not separate territories with territorial waters. The parties are negotiating, which, however, has not led to a settlement of the problem. These differences have economic and military dimensions, as well as a geopolitical context.