TR
Voice of America: Greece-Egypt Agreement Stirs the Waters of the Eastern Mediterranean
7 August 2020
Hilmi Hacaloğlu
ISTANBUL -
Following the intervention of German Chancellor Angela Merkel, Türkiye had put on hold the NAVTEX (navigational warning) it announced on 21 July and withdrawn to Antalya the Oruç Reis, which was to conduct seismic research in the area disputed with Greece and Egypt. However, after the signing of a maritime jurisdiction delimitation agreement between Egypt and Greece on 6 August, Türkiye announced a new NAVTEX. The waters of the Eastern Mediterranean, which had calmed down at the end of July, have begun to heat up again.
The Turkish Naval Forces Office of Navigation, Hydrography and Oceanography announced that Turkish warships would conduct firing exercises on 10-11 August. Part of the exercise area lies within the boundaries of the region that both Türkiye and Greece have declared as their own maritime area.
Erdoğan: "Greece did not keep its word, so we have started drilling"
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, who performed Friday prayers at Hagia Sophia Mosque today, confirmed this move and said that the Türkiye-Greece-Germany talks launched on Merkel's initiative had produced no results.
The President said: "Look, Merkel made a request to me. She said, 'If you stop the drilling work here, you will make my job easier.' And I said, 'If you trust Greece, if you trust the others, we will pause for 3-4 weeks. But I do not trust them. You will see, they will not keep their word.' And that is exactly what happened. Meanwhile, trilateral talks were launched between Germany, Greece and Türkiye, with their own foreign minister and advisors and my foreign minister and advisors. Now that they have not kept their word, what will happen? We have immediately started drilling. We have also sent Barbaros Hayrettin on its mission. They do not keep their word."
The Barbaros vessel mentioned by Erdoğan is working, under the NAVTEX announced on 30 July, east of the island of Cyprus in the area granted by the TRNC to the Turkish Petroleum Corporation.
"This agreement between Greece and Egypt is worthless"
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs had interpreted the agreement signed by Greece and Egypt as a "usurpation of the maritime areas" of Türkiye and Libya and announced that it considered it "null and void". President Erdoğan also said that Türkiye does not recognize this agreement.
Erdoğan said: "This agreement between Greece and Egypt is worthless. Why? First of all, when we look at these areas, does Greece have anything to do with being a coastal state here with respect to Libya? What business does it have there? Does Egypt have anything to do with it? No.
After we made such an agreement with Libya, they all jumped on it. Now the information reaching us from there includes messages such as 'We did not do this against you.' Whether or not that is the case, we are currently pursuing the agreement we made with Libya with determination, and we will continue to do so.
Here, especially regarding maritime jurisdiction areas, we do not even feel the need to discuss these areas with those who have no rights or claims whatsoever."
Prof. Doster: "If Ankara reached agreements with Damascus and Cairo, it would strengthen its hand in the Eastern Mediterranean"
Barış Doster, a faculty member at Marmara University, is of the view that the AKP government's problems with Egypt under Abdel Fattah el-Sisi have had consequences against Türkiye.
Speaking to VOA Turkish, Professor Doster said: "Türkiye is in fact paying the price for taking sides in the domestic politics of Syria and Egypt. Unfortunately, this stems from the government's affection for the Muslim Brotherhood organization. If Ankara repaired its relations with Cairo and Damascus and signed memoranda of understanding on maritime jurisdiction areas with them, as it did with Libya, its hand in the Eastern Mediterranean would be greatly strengthened. Türkiye has not declared an exclusive economic zone (EEZ) in the Eastern Mediterranean. It should not delay any longer. It is obvious that Egypt and Greece were emboldened by this to reach an agreement. Although it was clear that Türkiye's negotiations with Greece would produce no results, the Oruç Reis was withdrawn, and this gave Greece and Egypt an opening. If Türkiye does not want to lose further credibility, it must abandon its zigzagging policies."
"A seismic research or drilling vessel should be sent to the region and an EEZ should be declared"
The Bahçeşehir University Center for Maritime and Global Strategies (BAUDEGS), chaired by retired Rear Admiral Cihat Yaycı, who resigned from his post as Chief of Staff of the Naval Forces in recent months despite being the architect of the maritime jurisdiction agreement signed between Türkiye and Libya, also issued a statement calling on the government to declare an exclusive economic zone.
The BAUDEGS statement read: "It is clear that the agreement usurps Türkiye's legal rights. Sending military vessels to the region to show that the Exclusive Economic Zone belongs to us is not a meaningful solution, because military vessels can freely conduct training anywhere. A seismic research or drilling vessel must urgently be sent to the region to show that this area belongs to us and to stand up for our rights. Furthermore, and most importantly, 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."
