"The 12 nautical miles expansion overturns the balance of interests in the Aegean" reports a provocative report by the Turkish TRT network, interpreting International Law and the Law of the Sea in accordance with Ankara's permanent aspirations.
"Turkey and Greece. Two countries on the two shores of the Aegean. Problems which have been dragging on since the 1930s, which are being prolonged due to Greece's provocative steps. From what I see, the biggest issue is in the rights of sovereignty in the air and the sea" says the journalist, in front of a map of the Aegean islands, arguing that today Greece owns 40% of the sea space which will reach 70% if it were to expand.
"The extension of territorial waters to 12 nautical miles will change the balance of interests in the Aegean, disproportionately to the detriment of Turkey. At the moment due to various reasons, the territorial waters of Greece occupy 40% of the Aegean. In the event that Greece's territorial waters are extended to 12 miles, this percentage will reach 70%. In that case, the size of the open seas drops from 51% to 19%, while Turkey's territorial waters will be limited to a little less than 10% of the Aegean," he argues, accusing Athens of trying to trap Turkey in a " narrow sea lane' in the Eastern Mediterranean. "The Athens government's insistence on such an expansion not only restricts Turkey to the Aegean, but is part of an effort to confine Turkey to a narrow sea lane in the Eastern Mediterranean and to deprive it of resources. Greece's attempt to block Turkey's exit to the Eastern Mediterranean began in 2010 with the discovery of rich natural gas deposits.
The journalist of TRT "sees" ... "disappointment" in Greece for the "normalization of Turkey's relations with Israel, Egypt and Syria", although this is not the case, speaking of an "anti-Turkish" initiative of our country in Eastern Mediterranean.
"Greece, realizing how it lost the possibility of developing an anti-Turkish initiative against Turkey in the Eastern Mediterranean, now with the habits it had from the 19th and 20th centuries, is trying to provoke Turkey to create an environment of conflict and attract powerful countries to the Aegean. But with the pragmatic steps Turkey has taken in foreign policy, it is telling Athens how it should wake up from its dreams," concludes the TRT report.
