Part II: Some Observations on the Agreement between Greece and Egypt on the Delimitation of the Exclusive Economic Zone

Where to from here? The Greece-Turkey maritime boundary dispute

The dispute over the maritime boundary between Greece and Turkey has been ongoing since 1974. As I wrote elsewhere, 'bilateral consultations and negotiations have been unable to prevent occasional flare-ups and, as tensions remain significantly high, it may not be long before one of the not infrequent confrontations spirals out of control'. Only a few days after the signing of the Greece-Egypt Agreement, Greece and Turkey came close to an armed incident. Turkey sent a survey vessel, escorted by warships, and the standoff resulted in a minor collision between two frigates.

The existing status quo is unstable and does not favour either side. It poisons bilateral and regional relations and holds hostage the multiple benefits that could be generated from the exploitation of the seabed resources in the disputed maritime area. Given the recurring tensions and vastly overlapping maritime claims, the next maritime boundaries to be determined should be between Greece and Libya, on the one hand, and Greece and Turkey, on the other.

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