A summer of tensions with Ankara?

The authorities is preparing for a apt tense summertime with Turkey, if it proceeds with authorities codifying its territorial claims.

Thus far, the intent to prosecute the authorities had lone been mentioned by leaks of unofficial consultation papers to Turkish media. On Thursday, Turkey’s Ministry of Defense officially confirmed the quality successful a statement saying that the draught instrumentality will specify Turkey’s rights successful maritime zones under its jurisdiction and will plug gaps successful home legislation. The statement further says that the ministry had provided input done military, technical, world and ineligible experts and noted that Turkish equipped forces will support Turkish rights with “unshakable determination.”

Both Greek Foreign Minister George Gerapetritis and Defense Minister Nikos Dendias reacted to this statement.

“If immoderate state chooses to take unilateral measures, which, according to planetary law, indispensable beryllium agreed bilaterally oregon multilaterally, these are lone for interior (consumption) and cannot beryllium applied internationally,” Gerapetritis said, adding that Greece tin respond successful galore ways.

Dendias said that Turkey has “revisionist designs, which person been escalating recently, and which invoke nonexistent rights.”

“All our islands person precisely the rights provided for by the UN Convention connected the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), thing more, thing less, Dendias added.

Turkey has not ratified UNCLOS, which entered into unit successful 1994; 169 countries person done so. One of Turkey’s large claims, that islands bash not person either a maritime economical zone oregon a continental shelf, runs against the treaty’s provisions. It recognizes specifically that islands are entitled to a territorial sea, contiguous zone, exclusive economical zone (EEZ), and continental support successful the aforesaid mode arsenic different onshore territory. Exceptions to the regularisation are oversea rocks and islets that cannot sustain quality habitation and/or economical activity.

Turkish paper Milliyet, successful an investigation of the pending legislation, noted that the it gives Turkey’s president the close to designate special status areas – for purposes of fishing, marine situation extortion and others – that are not included successful Turkey’s Exclusive Economic Zones. “This will supply Turkey with country for maneuver some implicit its close and Greece’s faits accomplis,” Milliyet said.