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Veryansın TV: Striking Assessment of the Greece-Egypt EEZ Declaration
Striking assessment from Cihat Yaycı on the Greece-Egypt EEZ declaration: We have only one option left...
Admiral Cihat Yaycı, who has been targeted by the Greeks particularly because of his work and actions on the Eastern Mediterranean and Aegean issues, spoke to Veryansın TV about the EEZ agreement signed between Greece and Egypt... Stating that Türkiye should declare an EEZ in the Mediterranean, Yaycı said: "This is because Greece's next step will be to sign an EEZ agreement with the Greek Cypriot Administration of Southern Cyprus. News of this has already begun to spread in the Greek and Greek Cypriot press. Therefore, without losing any time, an EEZ should urgently be declared in the Eastern Mediterranean, as if agreements had also been made with Israel and Lebanon."
Reactions continue to the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) agreement signed between Greece and Egypt, which do not share a maritime boundary.
We asked retired Rear AdmiralCihat Yaycı,former Chief of Staff of the Naval Forces Command and architect of the maritime jurisdiction agreement with Libya, about the EEZ agreement between Egypt and Greece and the latest developments. Yaycı, who is also Chair of the BAU Center for Maritime and Global Strategies, continues his work for Türkiye's rights in the Blue Homeland even though he was removed from his post in the Naval Forces.
Here are Yaycı's answers to our questions:
- After Türkiye's NAVTEX announcement of 21 July 2020, Germany intervened and Türkiye postponed the NAVTEX for the sake of dialogue. How do you assess this decision?
The cancellation or postponement on 21 July of the work of the Oruç Reis seismic research vessel 300 km east of the Libya-Türkiye line, "as a result of Germany's intervention following Greece's objections and threats", has had grave consequences.
First of all, it has turned even the area 300 km east of the Libya-Türkiye line into a disputed or negotiable area. In other words, contrary to what some have said, the NAVTEX area from which Oruç Reis withdrew is not in the Kastellorizo (Meis) and Rhodes region. It also lies 300 km south of Kastellorizo.
Research area of the Oruç Reis seismic research vessel canceled on 21 July 2020
In view of this situation, we have been faced with the prospect of nullifying the Libya-Türkiye agreement with our own hands and rendering our Eastern Mediterranean and Libya policy void. The Greeks describe this as a great diplomatic victory and, so to speak, say "we brought the Turks to their knees".
In the area from which we most recently stepped back (these are areas licensed to TPAO in 2011 and 2012, meaning we had to withdraw from areas we declared to be ours years ago).
In addition, the latest developments have also emboldened Egypt. It is very interesting that Egypt claimed rights in the areas put out to tender on 30 May. It had not shown that it was on the verge of an agreement with the Greeks. We did our best to voice these concerns.
- How do you view the statements that we are ready to negotiate with Greece in the Eastern Mediterranean?
Agreeing to negotiate with Greece in the Eastern Mediterranean would be a stance causing irreversible damage, because Greece is not our counterpart in the Eastern Mediterranean. There is no issue between us. Greece simply has a demand on maritime areas that are rightfully ours.
Even at its simplest, it is an incredibly unlawful impudence for Greece to claim a maritime jurisdiction area with a total coastline of 167 km on the sides of its islands facing the Eastern Mediterranean against 1,870 km of Anatolian coastline.
The maritime jurisdiction areas (EEZ and Continental Shelf) agreement we concluded with Libya was made, in line with the court decisions issued to date in the law of the sea, on the basis of principles such as equity, equidistance, proportionality, the primacy of geography, non-encroachment, and the assessment of special, human and other circumstances. In this context, the islands were naturally granted maritime jurisdiction only as far as their territorial waters, and the Libya-Türkiye line was drawn just outside the territorial waters of these islands.
In this case, negotiating with Greece as a counterpart in the Eastern Mediterranean could mean discussing how to meet Greece's demand, that is, discussing how much of what is rightfully ours we would give to Greece. Negotiating how much continental shelf the islands will be granted means nullifying the Libya agreement, because when we signed this agreement and drew the Türkiye-Libya line, in accordance with the law of the sea, the islands were not granted any maritime jurisdiction beyond their territorial waters. Furthermore, if negotiations begin on granting the islands maritime jurisdiction beyond their territorial waters, this will also mean losing the continental shelf line west of the island of Cyprus, which we have argued since 2004 runs along the limit of its territorial waters.
This, in turn, would mean accepting the Seville map that confines us to the Gulf of Antalya.
- How do you assess the signing of an EEZ agreement between Greece and Egypt?
Following the developments, we had stated that we were receiving signs that the worst-case scenario, an exclusive economic zone agreement between Greece and Egypt, would be signed, and voiced our concerns that our abandoning seismic research was paving the way for this agreement. However, nothing changed and, unfortunately, Greece and Egypt signed an EEZ agreement.
This agreement cannot nullify the Türkiye-Libya agreement. This agreement, aimed at preventing the maritime neighborhood of Türkiye and Libya, whose opposite coasts are as plain as day, has no negative effect on our agreement and cannot have any.
On the other hand, as far as we have been able to learn, Greece has given up 50% of the EEZ area it envisaged for the islands of Rhodes and Crete for the sake of reaching an agreement with Egypt. This essentially means the collapse of the Greek theses, because Greece has refuted with its own hands the thesis it has argued from the outset that islands have as much maritime jurisdiction as mainlands.
As is known, following the EEZ agreement signed between Egypt and Greece, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Türkiye published a statement on the matter on its official website. The statement read as follows:
"There is no maritime boundary between Greece and Egypt. The so-called maritime jurisdiction areas delimitation agreement announced to have been signed today is null and void for Türkiye. This understanding of ours will be demonstrated on the ground and at the table. The so-called delimited area lies within the Turkish continental shelf, which has also been notified to the United Nations."
At this point, our view is that the expression "continental shelf" in this statement should be changed to "Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ)". The agreement signed between Türkiye and Libya is an EEZ agreement. That is why I believe the expression used here should also be corrected to EEZ. I cannot understand why, while all the states around us speak of EEZ rights, we still insist on the term continental shelf.
In addition, it is clear that the agreement concluded in this area usurps Türkiye's legal rights. Sending military vessels to the region to show that the EEZ belongs to us is not a meaningful solution, because outside other countries' territorial waters, military vessels can freely conduct training anywhere under the principle of free use of the seas for passage, training and similar purposes. In other words, keeping military vessels or holding exercises in that region does not show that the region belongs to you. There are already vessels from all over the world in the Eastern Mediterranean. So there is no point in announcing a NAVTEX for military vessels. Showing that this region belongs to us in terms of EEZ and continental shelf rights is only possible through the exploration, extraction and use of its resources. In this context, a seismic research or drilling vessel must urgently be sent to the region to show that our exclusive economic zone and continental shelf lie in these areas and to stand up for our rights.
Furthermore, and most importantly, we are left with only one option for a proactive strategy: declaring an EEZ.This is because Greece's next step will be to sign an EEZ agreement with the Greek Cypriot Administration of Southern Cyprus. News of this has already begun to spread in the Greek and Greek Cypriot press.Therefore, without losing any time, an EEZ should urgently be declared in the Eastern Mediterranean, as if agreements had also been made with Israel and Lebanon.
It is considered beneficial and necessary for the rights and interests of our country that the above points be implemented.
Retreating out of fear that a conflict might break out is not in our nature. Then, if tomorrow a state were to lay claim to one of our provinces, would we shy away from conflict and negotiate? Countless proofs already show that the Turkish Nation does not shy away from such situations and that the Turkish State has never negotiated and never will. In fact, it is hardly conceivable that Greece would risk a conflict with us, because it has so many soft spots. Where those soft spots are can be seen very clearly by looking at the map. I would particularly like to draw attention to the islands that were ceded to Greece on condition of demilitarized status but which Greece itself has militarized and armed, thereby removing the condition of cession, and to their positions right next to our Anatolian coasts.
In short, the Turkish Nation and State are aware of their rights and interests arising from international law.
Countless proofs already show that the Turkish Nation does not shy away from waging every kind of struggle, whatever the cost, to protect its rights and interests, and that the Turkish State has never negotiated and never will.
The recent statements by the highest authorities of our state are also in this direction. All the power and might of the State of the Republic of Türkiye remain intact. Türkiye has not an inch of homeland soil nor a drop of homeland water to give away!
