The government plans to submit a bill to parliament in early June that would, for the first time, define the boundaries of the continental shelf, contiguous zone, and exclusive economic zone (EEZ) for all of Turkey's coastline — legislation the country has long lacked.
The law is conceived as a general framework, an official told Turkey in Depth, with Ankara continuing to govern specific maritime matters through regulations and decrees issued by the Presidency or the Foreign and Defense Ministries, as it does now.
The legislation comes amid long-standing disputes with Greece over islands in the Aegean Sea and the recent addition of disagreements over energy resource sharing with Greece and Israel in the Eastern Mediterranean.
The draft was presented for the first time at a press conference in Ankara on May 12, organised by the National Maritime Law Research Center of Ankara University (DEHUKAM) and presented under the headline of the “Blue Homeland” doctrine.
Çağrı Erhan, deputy chair of the Presidential Security and Foreign Policies Council, attended the conference alongside DEHUKAM officials, academics, and legal experts.
The “Blue Homeland” doctrine, which defines the seas as an integral part of the homeland, was first voiced by a Eurasianist Rear Admiral Cem Gürdeniz in 2006 but over years has been adopted as a state policy. The doctrine advocates defense of Turkish rights to exploit resources in waters off its coastlines and self-reliance in naval power in the Eastern Mediterranean.
NO CHANGE ON PRINCIPLES
The draft, titled the Turkish Maritime Jurisdiction Areas Law, has been completed and forwarded to the General Staff to obtain the views of relevant military units. The Defense Ministry announced at its weekly press conference on May 14 that it had conveyed its views on military, technical, academic, and legal matters to the relevant institutions.
According to the draft, the current 6-nautical-mile territorial waters limit in the Aegean Sea will be maintained. The existing 12-nautical-mile practice in the Mediterranean and Black Sea will also continue. The Bosphorus, the Dardanelles, and the Sea of Marmara will be confirmed as part of Turkish internal waters. Rights arising from national legislation and international treaties, including the Montreux Convention, will be reserved.
AN UMBRELLA LAW
While drafting the bill, the AKP received technical and academic support from DEHUKAM.
Süleyman Önel, chair of the board of DEHUKAM, said that they have been working on the draft for over 10 years.
“There was a need for an umbrella law that would define our country's rights and interests in the seas in accordance with international law and provide a basis in Turkish domestic law,” Önel said.
Greek islands in the Aegean Sea sit very close to the Turkish coast and have been the source of lengthy dispute between the two countries regarding territorial waters, the continental shelf, and the delimitation and management of these maritime jurisdiction areas.
Currently, both Turkey and Greece claim territorial waters in the Aegean to 6 nautical miles from their coasts. However, Athens argues it has the right to extend its territorial waters to 12 miles and wishes to draw continental shelf and EEZ boundaries accordingly.
Ankara says such an extension would violate Turkish interests and declared via a 1995 parliamentary resolution that such a move would be considered a cause for war.
Turkey is not a party to the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), the primary international text regarding the seas, arguing that some of its core provisions — particularly those concerning the Aegean — conflict with its interests.
