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Greece-Turkey Negotiations: Expectations and Challenges
Analysis of the upcoming Greece-Turkey negotiations on the continental shelf, territorial waters, and other related issues.
Greek
Greece
International RelationsGeopoliticsLabour MarketDiplomacyNegotiationsMaritime Disputes
International Court Of JusticeInternational Tribunal For The Law Of The Sea
Pavlos ApostolidisGeorgios GerapetritisHakan Fidan
- Can Greek territorial waters be extended everywhere to 12 nautical miles?
- Extending Greek territorial waters to 12 nautical miles everywhere is legally possible but would likely eliminate the continental shelf dispute as almost the entire Aegean would become Greek waters. Previous discussions with Turkey have focused on informal exchanges of views on potential extensions, rather than formal negotiations.
- What is expected from the upcoming Gerapetritis-Fidan negotiation in Athens?
- The upcoming meeting between Greek and Turkish foreign ministers in Athens is expected to initiate a new round of negotiations, likely starting with expert-level discussions to establish common ground on the issues.
- Does Greece have room to negotiate on a range of issues, or should it maintain its stance that all issues are non-negotiable?
- Greece faces a decision on whether to negotiate on multiple issues or maintain its stance that some topics are non-negotiable. The main issue is the continental shelf, complicated by the Aegean Sea's geography and Turkey's rejection of full Greek island influence.
- Regarding the continental shelf dispute, hasn't extensive work already been done, and are there reports ready from previous talks over the past 25 years? Will everything start from scratch?
- Previous work on the continental shelf dispute exists, but Turkey's stance has hardened since its EU accession talks, making an agreement more challenging. The possibility of restarting from scratch is high.
- Can Greece accept that the International Court of Justice in The Hague or the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea in Hamburg will decide on a number of issues of sovereignty or sovereign rights?
- Greece could accept the International Court of Justice or the Hamburg-based International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea to decide on certain sovereignty or sovereign rights issues; however, this would require prior agreement on the specific issues to be submitted.