NationMaster - Encyclopedia: Aegean dispute

The term Aegean dispute refers to a set of interrelated controversial issues between Greece and Turkey over sovereignty and related rights in the area of the Aegean Sea. This set of conflicts has had a large effect on the relations between the two countries since the 1970s. This led twice to crises coming close to the outbreak of military hostilities, in 1987 and in early 1996. The issues in the Aegean fall into several categories: Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1608x1648, 572 KB) Sattelite image of the Aegean Sea Source:NASA File links The following pages link to this file: Aegean Sea Aegean dispute ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1608x1648, 572 KB) Sattelite image of the Aegean Sea Source:NASA File links The following pages link to this file: Aegean Sea Aegean dispute ... Image File history File links Aegean_with_legends. ... Image File history File links Aegean_with_legends. ... Image File history File links Aegean_6_nm. ... Image File history File links Aegean_6_nm. ... Image File history File links Aegean_10_nm. ... Image File history File links Aegean_10_nm. ... Image File history File links Aegean_12_nm. ... Image File history File links Aegean_12_nm. ... Look up Aegean Sea in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Relations between Greece and Turkey have been marked by alternating periods of mutual hostility and reconciliation ever since Greece won its independence from the Ottoman Empire in 1832. ... Year 1987 (MCMLXXXVII) was a common year starting on Thursday (link displays 1987 Gregorian calendar). ... Year 1996 (MCMXCVI) was a leap year starting on Monday (link will display full 1996 Gregorian calendar). ...

Since 1998, the two countries have been coming closer to overcome the tensions through a series of diplomatic measures, particularly with a view to easing Turkey's accession to the European Union. However, as of 2006, differences over suitable diplomatic paths to a substantial solution are still unresolved. Map of Sealand and the United Kingdom, with territorial water claims of 3nm and 12nm shown. ... Airspace means the portion of the atmosphere controlled by a particular country on top of its territory and territorial waters or, more generally, any specific three-dimensional portion of the atmosphere. ... Sea areas in international rights Under the law of the sea, an Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) is a seazone over which a state has special rights over the exploration and use of marine resources. ... Sediment Rock Mantle The global continental shelf, highlighted in cyan The continental shelf is the extended perimeter of each continent, which is covered during interglacial periods such as the current epoch by relatively shallow seas (known as shelf seas) and gulfs. ... A Flight Information Region (FIR) is an airspace with specific dimensions, in which an information service and an alert service are provided. ... Demilitarization 1. ... Imia/Kardak Imia () are the Greek names, respectively, of a set of two small uninhabited islets in the Aegean Sea, situated between the Greek island chain of the Dodecanese and the southwestern mainland coast of Turkey. ... Year 1998 (MCMXCVIII) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will display full 1998 Gregorian calendar). ... One of a number of posters created to promote the Marshall Plan in Europe, featuring Turkey Turkeys formal application to join the European Communityâ€”the organization that has since developed into the European Unionâ€”was made on April 14th, 1987. ... 2006 is a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

See also: Foreign relations of Turkey, Foreign relations of Greece Foreign relations of the Republic of Turkey refers to the policies pursued by the Turkish government in its external relations with the international community. ... Greece was elected by the United Nations General Assembly to the United Nations Security Council, on 15 October 2004 , as a non-permanent member for 2005 and 2006. ...

Maritime and areal zones of influence

Several of the Aegean issues deal with the delimitation of both countries' zones of influence in the air and on the sea around their respective territories. These issues owe their virulence to a geographical peculiarity of the Aegean sea and its territories. While the mainland coasts of Greece and Turkey border the Aegean Sea on both sides and represent roughly equal shares of its total coastline, the overwhelming number of the many islands in the Aegean belong to Greece. In particular, there is a chain of Greek islands lined up along the Turkish west coast (Lesbos, Chios, Samos, and the Dodecanese islands), partly in very close proximity to the mainland. Turkey claims that they cut off large parts of it from the open sea, and sees it as blocking it from extending any of its zones of influence beyond a few miles off its coastline. The breadth of maritime and areal zones of influence, such as the territorial waters and national airspace, are traditionally measured from the nearest territory of the state in question, including its islands. This means that the division of these zones in the Aegean are claimed to favour Greece. Turkey also claims that any possible extension of such zones is bound to benefit Greece much more than Turkey proportionally. Lesbos (Modern Greek: Lesvos (Î›ÎÏƒÎ²Î¿Ï‚), Turkish: Midilli), is a Greek island located in the northeastern Aegean Sea. ... Chios (Greek: , alternative transliterations Khios and Hios), is the fifth largest of the Greek islands, situated in the Aegean Sea seven kilometres (five miles) off the Turkish coast. ... Samos (Greek: Î£Î¬Î¼Î¿Ï‚) is a Greek island in the Eastern Aegean sea, located between the island of Chios to the North and the archipelagic complex of the Dodecanese to the South and in particular the island of Patmos and off the coast of Turkey, on what was formerly known as Ionia. ... The Dodecanese (Greek: Δωδεκάνησα, Dodekánisa, meaning twelve islands) are a group of Greek islands in the Aegean Sea, off the southwest coast of Turkey. ...

According to a popular perception of these issues in the two countries, Turkey is concerned that Greece might be trying to extend its zones of influence to such a degree that it would turn the Aegean effectively into a "Greek lake". Conversely, Greece is concerned that Turkey might try to "occupy half of the Aegean", i.e. establish Turkish zones of influence towards the middle of the Aegean, beyond the chain of outlying Greek islands, turning these into a kind of exclave surrounded by Turkish waters, and thus cutting them off from their motherland.^[1]

The territorial waters

Territorial waters give the littoral state full control over air navigation in the airspace above, and partial control over shipping, although foreign ships (both civil and military) are normally guaranteed innocent passage through them. The standard width of territorial waters that countries are customarily entitled to has steadily increased in the course of the 20th century: from initially 3 nautical miles at the beginning of the century, to 6 miles, and currently 12 miles (c.22 km). The 12-mile value has been enshrined in treaty law by the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea of 1982 (Art.3). In the Aegean the territorial waters claimed by both sides are still at 6 miles. The possibility of an extension to 12 miles has fuelled Turkish concerns over a possible disproportionate increase in Greek-controlled space. Turkey has refused to become a member of the convention and does not consider itself bound by it, although it has applied the customary 12 miles on its other coastlines outside the Aegean. Turkey considers the convention as res inter alios acta, i.e. a treaty that can only be binding to the signing parties but not to others. Greece, which is a party to the convention, has stated that it reserves the right to apply this rule and extend its waters to 12 miles at some point in the future, although it has never actually attempted to do so. It holds that the 12-mile rule is not only treaty law but also customary law at the same time, as per the wide consensus established among the international community. Against this, Turkey argues that the special geographical properties of the Aegean Sea make a strict application of the 12-mile rule in this case illicit in the interest of equity.^[2] Furthermore, Turkey argues that although according to the convention the islands are considered as land and have their territorial waters, the third paragraph of Article 121 states that "Rocks which cannot sustain human habitation or economic life of their own shall have no exclusive economic zone or continental shelf.". Turkey also claims that the attempts of Greece to extend their territorial waters to 12 miles violates Article 300 of the agreement as well, which mentions that "States Parties shall fulfil in good faith the obligations assumed under this Convention and shall exercise the rights, jurisdiction and freedoms recognized in this Convention in a manner which would not constitute an abuse of right.".^[3] Innocent passage is a concept in Admiralty law which allows for a vessel to pass through the territorial waters of another state subject to certain restrictions. ... A nautical mile or sea mile is a unit of length. ... United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea Opened for signature December 10, 1982 in Montego Bay (Jamaica) Entered into force November 16, 1994[1] Conditions for entry into force 60 ratifications Parties 149[2] For maritime law in general see Admiralty law. ... Res inter alios acta (Latin for a thing done between others), is a common law doctrine which holds that a contract cannot adversely affect the rights of one who is not a party to the contract. ... In law, custom, or customary law consists of established patterns of behaviour that can be objectively verified within a particular social setting. ... This article is about the concept of justice. ...

Tensions over the 12-mile question ran highest between the two countries in the early 1990s, when the Law of the Sea was going to come into force. On 9 June 1995, the Turkish parliament officially declared that unilateral action by Greece would constitute a casus belli, i.e. reason to go to war, by Turkey. This declaration has been condemned by Greece as a violation of the Charter of the United Nations, which forbids "the threat or use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of any state".^[1] Year 1990 (MCMXC) was a common year starting on Monday (link displays the 1990 Gregorian calendar). ... June 9 is the 160th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (161st in leap years), with 205 days remaining. ... Year 1995 (MCMXCV) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display full 1995 Gregorian calendar). ... Casus belli is a modern Latin language expression meaning the justification for acts of war. ... The United Nations Charter is the constitution of the United Nations. ...

The national airspace

The national airspace is normally defined as the airspace covering a state's land territory and its adjacent territorial waters. National airspace gives the sovereign state a large degree of control over foreign air traffic. While civil aviation is normally allowed passage under international treaties, foreign military and other state aircraft (unlike military vessels in the territorial waters) do not have a right to free passage through another state's national airspace.^{[citation needed]}

The delimitation of national airspace claimed by Greece is exceptional, as it does not coincide with the boundary of the territorial waters. Greece claims 10 miles (18.5 km) of airspace, as opposed to currently (without the Law of the Sea been active) 6 miles (11.1 km) of water. Since 1974, Turkey has refused to acknowledge the validity of those outer 4 miles (7.4 km) of airspace that extend beyond the Greek territorial waters. Turkey cites the statutes of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) of 1948, as containing a binding definition that both zones must coincide.^[4] Against this, Greece argues that: Admiralty law (usually referred to as simply admiralty and also referred to as maritime law) is a distinct body of law which governs maritime questions and offenses. ... Year 1974 (MCMLXXIV) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display full calendar) of the 1974 Gregorian calendar. ... The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), an agency of the United Nations, codifies the principles and techniques of international air navigation and fosters the planning and development of international air transport to ensure safe and orderly growth. ...

The conflict over military flight activities has led to a practice of continuous tactical military provocations, with Turkish aircraft flying in the outer four mile zone of contentious airspace and Greek aircraft intercepting them. These encounters often lead to so-called "dog-fights", dangerous flight maneuvres that have repeatedly ended in casualties on both sides. In one instance in 1996, it has been alleged that a Turkish plane was accidentally shot down by a Greek one,^[6] Year 1931 (MCMXXXI) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will display full 1931 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Casus belli is a modern Latin language expression meaning the justification for acts of war. ...

The continental shelf

In the context of the Aegean dispute, the term continental shelf refers to a littoral state's exclusive right to economic exploitation of resources on and under the sea-bed, for instance oil drilling, in an area adjacent to its territorial waters and extending into the High Seas. The width of the continental shelf is commonly defined for purposes of international law as not exceeding 200 nautical miles (370.4 km). Where the territories of two states lie closer opposite each other than double that distance, the division is made by the median line. The concept of the continental shelf is closely connected to that of an exclusive economic zone, which refers to a littoral state's control over fishery and similar rights. Both concepts were developed in international law from the middle of the 20th century, and were codified in the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea in 1982. Sediment Rock Mantle The global continental shelf, highlighted in cyan The continental shelf is the extended perimeter of each continent, which is covered during interglacial periods such as the current epoch by relatively shallow seas (known as shelf seas) and gulfs. ... Pumpjack pumping an oil well near Lubbock, Texas Ignacy Åukasiewicz - creator of the process of refining of kerosene from crude oil. ... Map of Sealand and the United Kingdom, with territorial water claims of 3nm and 12nm shown. ... The terms international waters, transboundary waters, or High Seas apply where any of the following types of bodies of water (or their drainage basins) transcend international boundaries: oceans, large marine ecosystems, enclosed or semi-enclosed regional seas and estuaries, rivers, lakes, groundwater systems (aquifers), and wetlands. ... A nautical mile is a unit of distance, or, as physical scientists like to call it, length. ... Sea areas in international rights Under the law of the sea, an Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) is a seazone over which a state has special rights over the exploration and use of marine resources. ... A fishery (plural: fisheries) is an organized effort by humans to catch fish or other aquatic species, an activity known as fishing. ... (19th century - 20th century - 21st century - more centuries) Decades: 1900s 1910s 1920s 1930s 1940s 1950s 1960s 1970s 1980s 1990s As a means of recording the passage of time, the 20th century was that century which lasted from 1901–2000 in the sense of the Gregorian calendar (1900–1999... United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea Opened for signature December 10, 1982 in Montego Bay (Jamaica) Entered into force November 16, 1994[1] Conditions for entry into force 60 ratifications Parties 149[2] For maritime law in general see Admiralty law. ... Year 1982 (MCMLXXXII) was a common year starting on Friday (link displays the 1982 Gregorian calendar). ...

The dispute between Turkey and Greece is to what degree the Greek islands off the Turkish coast should be taken into account for determining the Greek and Turkish economic zones. Turkey argues that the notion of "continental shelf", by its very definition, implies that distances should be measured from the continental mainland, claiming that the sea-bed of the Aegean geographically forms a natural prolongation of the Anatolian land mass. This would mean for Turkey to be entitled to economic zones up to the median line of the Aegean (leaving out, of course, the territorial waters around the Greek islands in its eastern half, which would remain as Greek exclaves.) Greece, on the other hand, claims that all islands must be taken into account on an equal basis,since in the convention on the Law of the Sea is stated that islands'themselves have their own continental shelf. Also no geographical terms should be taken in account ( thus the Turkish point of view that the sea-bed of the Aegean geographically forms a natural prolongation of the Anatolia land mass should not be taken in account), according to the International Court decisions which set the continental shelf dispute between Libya and Tunisia. This would mean that Greece would gain the economic rights to almost the whole of the Aegean.^[2] This article is about two nested areas of Turkey, a plateau region within a peninsula. ...

In this matter, Greece has the UN Law of the Sea on its side, although the Convention restricts the application of this rule to islands of a notable size, as opposed to small uninhabitable islets and rocks.Turkey has refused to join that convention.However,according to the International Court of Justice the article 1 of the Convention of Geneva(1958)is common law and so all states are bounded to it. For this reason, this is the only one of all the Aegean issues where Greece has officially acknowledged that Turkey has legitimate interests that might require some international process of arbitration or compromise between the two sides.^[5] This page is a candidate to be moved to Wiktionary. ...

Tensions over the continental shelf were particularly high during the mid-1970s and again the late 1980s, when it was believed that the Aegean Sea might hold rich oil reserves. Turkey at that time conducted exploratory oceanographic research missons in parts of the disputed area. These were perceived as a dangerous provocation by Greece, which led to a buildup of mutual military threats in 1976 and again in 1987.^[5] The issue has since lost some of its importance, as it is now believed that the oil expectations of the time were exaggerated.^{[citation needed]} Year 1970 (MCMLXX) was a common year starting on Thursday (link shows full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1980 (MCMLXXX) was a leap year starting on Tuesday (link displays the 1980 Gregorian calendar). ... Thermohaline circulation Oceanography (from Ocean + Greek Î³ÏÎ¬Ï†ÎµÎ¹Î½ = write), also called oceanology or marine science, is the branch of Earth Sciences that studies the Earths oceans and seas. ... Year 1976 Pick up sticks(MCMLXXVI) was a leap year starting on Thursday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1987 (MCMLXXXVII) was a common year starting on Thursday (link displays 1987 Gregorian calendar). ...

The Flight Information Regions

Unlike the issues described so far, the question of Flight Information Regions (FIR) does not affect the two states' sovereignty rights in the narrow sense. A FIR is a mere zone of responsibility assigned to a state within the framework of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO). It relates to the responsibility for regulating civil aviation. A FIR may stretch beyond the national airspace of a country, i.e. over areas of high seas, or in some cases even over the airspace of another country. It does not give the responsible state the right to prohibit flights by foreign aircraft; however, foreign aircraft are obliged to submit flight plans to the authorities administrating the FIR. This has been perceived by both Greece and Turkey as giving the state administering the FIR a certain tactical advantage with respect to military movement in that zone. Two separate disputes have arisen: the issue of a unilaterally proposed revision of the FIR demarcation, and the question of what rights and obligations arise from the FIR with respect to military as opposed to civil flights. A Flight Information Region (FIR) is an airspace with specific dimensions, in which an information service and an alert service are provided. ... The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), an agency of the United Nations, codifies the principles and techniques of international air navigation and fosters the planning and development of international air transport to ensure safe and orderly growth. ... The terms international waters, transboundary waters, or High Seas apply where any of the following types of bodies of water (or their drainage basins) transcend international boundaries: oceans, large marine ecosystems, enclosed or semi-enclosed regional seas and estuaries, rivers, lakes, groundwater systems (aquifers), and wetlands. ...

The FIR demarcation

By virtue of an agreement signed in 1952, the whole airspace over the Aegean, up to the boundary of the national airspace of Turkey, is assigned to Athens FIR, administered by Greece. Shortly after the Cyprus crisis of 1974, Turkey unilaterally attempted to change this arrangement, issuing a Notice to Airmen (NOTAM) stating that it would take over the administration of the eastern half of the Aegean airspace, including the national airspace of the Greek islands in that area. Greece responded with a declaration rejecting this move, and declaring the disputed zone unsafe for aviation due to the conflicting claims to authority. This led to some disruption in civil aviation in the area. Turkey later changed its stance, and has since 1980 returned to recognizing Athens FIR in its original demarcation.^[5] In practice, the FIR demarcation is currently no longer a disputed issue. Year 1952 (MCMLII) was a leap year starting on Tuesday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Year 1974 (MCMLXXIV) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display full calendar) of the 1974 Gregorian calendar. ... NOTAM or NoTAM is the quasi-acronym for a Notice To Airmen. NOTAMs are created and transmitted by government agencies under guidelines specified by Annex 15: Aeronautical Information Services of the International Convention on Civil Aviation. ... Year 1980 (MCMLXXX) was a leap year starting on Tuesday (link displays the 1980 Gregorian calendar). ...

Military overflights

The current (as of 2006) controversy over the FIR relates to the question whether the Greek authorities have a right to oversee not only civil but also military flight activities in the international parts of the Aegean airspace. According to common international practice, military aircraft normally submit flight plans to FIR authorities when moving in international airspace, just like civil aircraft. Turkey, concerned that Greece might misuse its civil regulation authority in order to gain a tactical military advantage, refuses to do so. Turkey cites the charter of the ICAO from 1948, which explicitly restricts the scope of its regulations to civil aircraft, arguing that therefore the practice of including military aircraft in the same system is strictly optional. Greece, in contrast, argues that it is obligatory, on the basis of later regulations of the ICAO in the interest of civil aviation safety.Moreover, ICAO has relegated each country the authority to prescribe complementary relegations (NOTAM) to the ICAO general rules. The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), an agency of the United Nations, develops the principles and techniques of international air navigation and fosters the planning and development of international air transport to ensure safe and orderly growth. ... Year 1948 (MCMXLVIII) was a leap year starting on Thursday (link will display the 1948 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), an agency of the United Nations, develops the principles and techniques of international air navigation and fosters the planning and development of international air transport to ensure safe and orderly growth. ...

This disagreement has led to similar practical consequences as the issue of 6 vs. 10 miles of national airspace, as Greece considers all Turkish military flights not registered with its FIR authorities as transgressions of international air traffic regulations, and routinely has its own air force jets intercepting the Turkish ones, claiming that this is in the interest of aviation safety. In popular perception in Greece, the issue of allegedly illegal Turkish flights in the international part of Athens FIR is often confused with that of the Turkish intrusions in the disputed outer 4-mile (7.4 km) belt of Greek airspace. However, in careful official usage, Greek authorities and media distinguish between "violations" ("παραβιάσεις") of the national airspace, and "transgressions" ("παραβάσεις") of traffic regulations, i.e. of the FIR.

One of the routine interception maneuvres led to a fatal accident on May 23rd 2006. Two Turkish F-16s and one reconnaissance F-4 were flying in the international airspace over the southern Aegean at 27000 feet without having submitted flight plans to the Greek FIR authorities. They were intercepted by two Greek F-16s off the coast of the Greek island Karpathos. During the ensuing mock dog fight, a Turkish F-16 and a Greek F-16 crashed midair. The pilot of the Turkish plane survived the crash, but the Greek pilot died. The incident also highlighted another aspect of the FIR issue, a dispute over conflicting claims to responsibility for maritime search and rescue operations. The Turkish pilot reportedly refused to be rescued by the Greek forces that had been dispatched to the area; some journalists also claim that he even threatened the rescuers with his personal handgun (although this claim is disputed by the Turkish authorities who remark that Turkish pilots do not carry handguns during flights). He was later rescued by a Panama registered civilian vessel. Although initially the event caused some excitement both in Turkey and Greece, calm responses from the militaries and governments of both sides prevented a crisis. Both sides expressed their wish to quickly realize an earlier plan of establishing a direct hotline between the air force commands of both countries in order to prevent escalation of similar situations in the future. May 23 is the 143rd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (144th in leap years). ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The F-16 Fighting Falcon is a modern multi-role jet fighter aircraft built in the United States and used by dozens of countries all over the world. ... The F-4 Phantom II (simply F-4 Phantom after 1990) is a two-place (tandem), supersonic, long-range, all-weather fighter-bomber built by McDonnell Douglas Corporation. ... Karpathos (Greek: , Turkish: , Italian: , Latin: ; see also List of traditional Greek place names) is the second largest of the Greek Dodecanese islands, in the southeastern Aegean Sea. ... Search and Rescue (acronym SAR) is an operation mounted by emergency services, often well-trained volunteers, to find someone believed to be in distress, lost, sick or injured either in a remote or difficult to access area, such as mountains, desert or forest (Wilderness search and rescue), or at sea...

The islands

While all the issues described so far are related to zones of influence at sea or in the air, there have also been a number of disputes related to the territories of the Greek islands themselves. These have related to the demilitarized status of some of the main islands in the area; to Turkish concerns over alleged endeavours by Greece to artificially expanding settlements to previously uninhabited islets; and to the existence of alleged "grey zones", an undetermined number of small islands of undetermined sovereignty. Image File history File links Aegean_islands_accession. ... Image File history File links Aegean_islands_accession. ... Image File history File links Aegean_islands_demilitarisation. ... Image File history File links Aegean_islands_demilitarisation. ... In military terms, a demilitarized zone (DMZ) is an area, usually the frontier or boundary between two or more groups, where military activity is not permitted, usually by treaty or other agreement. ... MÅkÅlea Rock in Kailua Bay, Oâ€˜ahu, Hawaiâ€˜i, 2. ...

Demilitarized status

The question of the demilitarized status of some major Greek islands is complicated by a number of facts. Several of the Greek islands in the eastern Aegean as well as the Turkish straits region were placed under various regimes of demilitarization in different international treaties. The regimes developed over time, resulting in difficulties of treaty-interpretation. The military status of the islands in question did however not constitute a serious problem in the bilateral relations until the Cyprus crisis of 1974, after which both Greece and Turkey re-interpreted the stipulations of the treaties. Greece, claiming an inalienable right to defend itself against Turkish aggression, reinforced its military and National Guard forces in the region. Turkey, on the other hand, denounces this as an aggressive act by Greece and as a breach of international treaties.^[4] From a legal perspective, three groups of islands may be distinguished: (a) the islands right off the Turkish Dardanelles straits, i.e. Lemnos and Samothrace; (b) the Dodecanese islands in the southeast Aegean; and (c) the remaining northeast Aegean islands (Lesbos, Chios, Samos, and Ikaria). In military terms, a demilitarized zone (DMZ) is an area, usually the frontier or boundary between two or more groups, where military activity is not permitted, usually by treaty or other agreement. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Map of the Dardanelles The Dardanelles (Turkish: Ã‡anakkale BoÄŸazÄ±, Greek: Î”Î±ÏÎ´Î±Î½ÎÎ»Î»Î¹Î±, Dardanellia), formerly known as the Hellespont (Greek: EÎ»Î»Î®ÏƒÏ€Î¿Î½Ï„Î¿Ï‚, Hellespontos), is a narrow strait in northwestern Turkey connecting the Aegean Sea to the Sea of Marmara. ... Lemnos (mod. ... Coordinates 40Â°29â€² N 25Â°31â€² E Country Greece Periphery East Macedonia and Thrace Prefecture Evros Population 2,723 source (2001) Area 178. ... The Dodecanese (Greek Î”Ï‰Î´ÎµÎºÎ¬Î½Î·ÏƒÎ±, DodekÃ¡nisa, Turkish Onikiada, both meaning twelve islands; Italian Dodecaneso) are a group of 12 larger plus 150 smaller Greek islands in the Aegean Sea, off the southwest coast of Turkey. ... Lesbos (Modern Greek: Lesvos (Î›ÎÏƒÎ²Î¿Ï‚), Turkish: Midilli), is a Greek island located in the northeastern Aegean Sea. ... Chios (Greek: , alternative transliterations Khios and Hios), is the fifth largest of the Greek islands, situated in the Aegean Sea seven kilometres (five miles) off the Turkish coast. ... Samos (Greek: Î£Î¬Î¼Î¿Ï‚) is a Greek island in the Eastern Aegean sea, located between the island of Chios to the North and the archipelagic complex of the Dodecanese to the South and in particular the island of Patmos and off the coast of Turkey, on what was formerly known as Ionia. ... This article is about Icaria, a Greek island. ...

Lemnos and Samothrace

These islands were placed under a demilitarization statute by the Treaty of Lausanne in 1923, to counterbalance the simultaneous demilitarization of the Turkish straits area (the Dardanelles and Bosphorus), Imbros and Tenedos. The demilitarization on the Turkish side was later abolished through the Montreux Convention Regarding the Regime of the Turkish Straits in 1936. Greece holds that, by superseding the relevant sections of the earlier treaty, the convention simultaneously lifted also the Greek obligations with respect to these islands. Against this, Turkey argues that, although Greece is a signatory to the convention, the Montreux treaty did not mention the islands and has not changed their status.^[4] Greece, however, cites Turkish official declarations, by the then Turkish Minister for Foreign Affairs, Rustu Aras, to that effect made in 1936,^[7] assuring the Greek side that Turkey would consider the Greek obligations lifted.^[5] Borders as shaped by the treaty The Treaty of Lausanne (July 24, 1923) was a peace treaty that settle a part of the partitioning of the Ottoman Empire that reflected the consequences of the Turkish Independence War between Allies of World War I and Turkish national movement, (Grand National Assembly... Year 1923 (MCMXXIII) was a common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Map of the Dardanelles The Dardanelles (Turkish: Ã‡anakkale BoÄŸazÄ±, Greek: Î”Î±ÏÎ´Î±Î½ÎÎ»Î»Î¹Î±, Dardanellia), formerly known as the Hellespont (Greek: EÎ»Î»Î®ÏƒÏ€Î¿Î½Ï„Î¿Ï‚, Hellespontos), is a narrow strait in northwestern Turkey connecting the Aegean Sea to the Sea of Marmara. ... Bosphorus - photo taken from International Space Station. ... For the district, see GÃ¶kÃ§eada (district). ... Tenedos, known as Bozcaada officially and by its Turkish inhabitants, (Greek: , Tenedhos), is a small island in the Aegean Sea, part of the Bozcaada district of Ã‡anakkale province in Turkey. ... Montreux Convention Regarding the Regime of the Turkish Straits was a 1936 agreement that gives Turkey control over the Bosporus and the Dardanelles. ... 1936 (MCMXXXVI) was a leap year starting on Wednesday (link will take you to calendar). ...

The Dodecanese

These islands were placed under a demilitarization statute after the Second World War by the Treaty of peace with Italy (1947), when Italy ceded them to Greece. Italy had previously not been under any obligation towards Turkey in this respect. Turkey, in turn, was not a party to the 1947 treaty, having been neutral during WWII. Greece therefore holds that the obligations it incurred towards Italy and the other parties in 1947 are res inter alios acta for Turkey in the sense of Article 34 of the Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties, which states that a treaty does not create obligations or rights for a third country, and that Turkey thus cannot base any claims on them. Turkey argues that the demilitarization agreement constitutes a so-called status treaty (an objective régime), where according to general rules of treaty law such an exclusion does not hold. The Treaty of peace with Italy is a treaty signed in Paris on February 10, 1947 between Italy and the victorious powers of the World War II, formally ending the hostilities. ... Res inter alios acta (Latin for a thing done between others), is a common law doctrine which holds that a contract cannot adversely affect the rights of one who is not a party to the contract. ... The Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties (or VCLT), adopted on May 22, 1969 and opened for signature on May 23, 1969, codified the pre-existing customary international law on treaties, with some necessary gap-filling and clarifications. ...

The remaining islands

The remaining islands (Lesbos, Chios, Samos, and Ikaria) were placed under a partial demilitarization statute by the Treaty of Lausanne in 1923. It prohibited the establishment of naval bases and fortifications, but allowed Greece to maintain a limited military contingent recruited from the local population, as well as police forces. With respect to these islands, Greece has not claimed that the treaty obligations have been formally superseded. However, in recent years it has argued that it is entitled to discount them, invoking Article 15 of the Charter of the United Nations. It argues that after the Turkish occupation of northern Cyprus and the Turkish threat of war over the 12-miles issue, re-armament is an act of legitimate self-defence.^[5] Chios (Greek: , alternative transliterations Khios and Hios), is the fifth largest of the Greek islands, situated in the Aegean Sea seven kilometres (five miles) off the Turkish coast. ... Samos (Greek: Î£Î¬Î¼Î¿Ï‚) is a Greek island in the Eastern Aegean sea, located between the island of Chios to the North and the archipelagic complex of the Dodecanese to the South and in particular the island of Patmos and off the coast of Turkey, on what was formerly known as Ionia. ... This article is about Icaria, a Greek island. ... The Statute of Grand Duchy of Lithuania A statute is a formal, written law of a country or state, written and enacted by its legislative authority, perhaps to then be ratified by the highest executive in the government, and finally published. ... Borders as shaped by the treaty The Treaty of Lausanne (July 24, 1923) was a peace treaty that settle a part of the partitioning of the Ottoman Empire that reflected the consequences of the Turkish Independence War between Allies of World War I and Turkish national movement, (Grand National Assembly... Year 1923 (MCMXXIII) was a common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... The United Nations Charter is the constitution of the United Nations. ...

Greek settlement programmes

In mid-1995, the Greek government launched an initiative to provide economic incentives to private individuals to settle permanently on some of the small, mostly uninhabited peripheral islets in the area.^{[citation needed]} Turkish media and some government officials reacted with suspicion, citing as a reason for concern that Greece might use this to prejudice a future arrangement regarding the continental shelf issue in its favour. This would be because the UN Law of the Sea distinguishes between islands that can sustain human habitation and those that cannot. Turkey at that point did not question Greek sovereignty over these islets as such; however, it insisted that it would not accept an artificially changed status quo as a basis for later negotiations.^[4] Greece claimed that the motives behind this programme were simply to boost regional infrastructure and economic development in its outlying rural areas, which were suffering severely from depopulization. This issue soon lost much of its relevance, as from 1996 onwards it became overshadowed and absorbed by the much more serious issue of the so-called “grey zones”, where the sovereignty of the islands itself was being called into question by Turkey. Year 1995 (MCMXCV) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display full 1995 Gregorian calendar). ... Year 1996 (MCMXCVI) was a leap year starting on Monday (link will display full 1996 Gregorian calendar). ...

"Grey zones"

Imia/Kardak

The first time a dispute between the two countries in the Aegean touched on questions of actual sovereignty over territories was in early 1996, on the occasion of a naval havary at the tiny barren islets of Imia/Kardak, situated between the Dodecanese island chain and the Turkish mainland. The conflict was originally caused by factual inconsistencies between maps of the area, some of which assigned these islets to Greece, others to Turkey. The media of the two countries took up the issue and gave it a nationalistic turn, before the two governments even had the time to come to a full technical understanding of the true legal and geographical situation. Both governments were then forced prematurely to adopt an intransigent stance, publicly asserting their own claims of sovereignty over the islets, in order to save face. The result was military escalation, which was perceived abroad as quite out of proportion with the size and significance of the rocks in question. The two countries were at the brink of war for a few days, until the crisis was defused with the help of foreign mediation.^[8] Imia/Kardak Imia () are the Greek names, respectively, of a set of two small uninhabited islets in the Aegean Sea, situated between the Greek island chain of the Dodecanese and the southwestern mainland coast of Turkey. ... Image File history File links Imia_with_legends. ... Image File history File links Imia_with_legends. ... Year 1996 (MCMXCVI) was a leap year starting on Monday (link will display full 1996 Gregorian calendar). ... Imia/Kardak Imia () are the Greek names, respectively, of a set of two small uninhabited islets in the Aegean Sea, situated between the Greek island chain of the Dodecanese and the southwestern mainland coast of Turkey. ... The Dodecanese (Greek Î”Ï‰Î´ÎµÎºÎ¬Î½Î·ÏƒÎ±, DodekÃ¡nisa, Turkish Onikiada, both meaning twelve islands; Italian Dodecaneso) are a group of 12 larger plus 150 smaller Greek islands in the Aegean Sea, off the southwest coast of Turkey. ...

During the crisis and in the months following it, both governments were busy elaborating legal arguments for why each considered the islets their own. The arguments exchanged concerned the interpretation of the Treaty of Lausanne of 1923, which forms the principal basis for the legal status of territories in most of the region, as well as certain later diplomatic dealings between Turkey, Greece and Italy. Borders as shaped by the treaty The Treaty of Lausanne (July 24, 1923) was a peace treaty that settle a part of the partitioning of the Ottoman Empire that reflected the consequences of the Turkish Independence War between Allies of World War I and Turkish national movement, (Grand National Assembly... Year 1923 (MCMXXIII) was a common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Other "Grey Zones"

During this process new claims, arose: the same legal reasons Turkey was bringing forward with respect to Imia/Kardak could be seen to apply not only to this one case, but to a possibly large number of other islands and small formations across the Aegean too. Most of them, unlike Imia/Kardak, had undeniably been in factual Greek possession, which had never been challenged by Turkey, and most named are inhabited.

Since then, Turkish authorities have spoken of "grey zones" of undetermined sovereignty, i.e. of islets whose legal status it disputes. The Turkish government has avoided stating exactly which islets it wishes to include in this category. At various occasions, Turkish sources have indicated that islands such as Pserimos, Agathonisi, Fournoi and Gavdos^[9] (situated south of Crete) might be included. Additional claims were made in a recent publication by the retired Turkish Air Force Major who handled military operations during the Kardak/Imia crisis^[10] listing the following (among other, even smaller ones): Pserimos is a small island in the Dodecanese chain, lying between Kalymnos and Kos in front of the coast of Turkey. ... Agathonisi (Î‘Î³Î±Î¸Î¿Î½Î®ÏƒÎ¹) is a small island located at the northernmost point of the Dodecanese prefecture in Greece. ... Fourni Korseon (Greek: Î¦Î¿ÏÏÎ½Î¿Î¹ ÎšÎ¿ÏÏƒÎÏ‰Î½) more commonly Fourni, are a complex of small islands lie between Icaria, Samos and Patmos. ... Gavdos (Greek: Î“Î±ÏÎ´Î¿Ï‚) is the southernmost Greek island, located to the south of its much bigger neighbour, Crete, of which it is administratively a part, in the prefecture of Chania. ... For other uses, see Crete (disambiguation). ...

These discussions of the claims' validity are largely limited to the internal politics and academics of Turkey, and are not typically an issue of per se concern in Greece itself nor in the international community—these islands are all internationally recognized as part of Greece. Samos (Greek: Î£Î¬Î¼Î¿Ï‚) is a Greek island in the Eastern Aegean sea, located between the island of Chios to the North and the archipelagic complex of the Dodecanese to the South and in particular the island of Patmos and off the coast of Turkey, on what was formerly known as Ionia. ... Fourni Korseon (Greek: Î¦Î¿ÏÏÎ½Î¿Î¹ ÎšÎ¿ÏÏƒÎÏ‰Î½) more commonly Fourni, are a complex of small islands lie between Icaria, Samos and Patmos. ... A map of Arki showing the location of its main town The main town of Arki and its port Arki (Greek name: Î‘ÏÎºÎ¿Î¹) is a group of several small islands situated in the eastern Aegean Sea, Greece close to the Turkish Aegean Coast which is part of the dodecanese archipelago. ... Agathonisi (Î‘Î³Î±Î¸Î¿Î½Î®ÏƒÎ¹) is a small island located at the northernmost point of the Dodecanese prefecture in Greece. ... Pharmakonisi, or Farmakonisi (Gr. ... Pserimos is a small island in the Dodecanese chain, lying between Kalymnos and Kos in front of the coast of Turkey. ... Gyali (Greek Î“Ï…Î±Î»Î¯, also spelled Yiali or Yali) is a volcanic Greek island in the Dodecanese, located halfway between Kos and Nisyros. ... Port and city view of Kos town on the island Kos. ... Nisyros (Greek: ÎÎ¯ÏƒÏ…ÏÎ¿Ï‚; also transliterated Nissiros; see also List of traditional Greek place names) is a volcanic Greek island located in the Aegean Sea. ... Port and city view of Kos town on the island Kos. ... Astipalea Astipalea (or Astypalea or Astypalaia, Î‘ÏƒÏ„Ï…Ï€Î¬Î»Î±Î¹Î±) is a Greek island with 1. ...

But the issue of “grey zones” has added yet two additional problems and mutual confidence loss in Turkish-Greek relations.

They add to the number of small military incidents already numerous due to the 10-mile (18.5 km) airspace and the FIR issues. According to some reports, the Turkish airforce has adopted a policy of ignoring Greek claims to all air-space and territorial waters around such formations that it counts as “grey zones”. This has occasioned Greek accusations that Turkish fighter planes are violating not only the outer zones of maritime airspace, but even the airspace directly over Greek islands themselves.

The "grey zones" claims also have had an effect on government and public views in Greece concerning appropriate responses on other issues. Greek discussions and political discourse on responses to disputes and claims in the Aegean include the perception that new and open-ended nature of the "grey zones" indicate that Ankara's policy may be one of continual and increasing claims.

Most recently, in 2007, Turkey claimed that Agios Efstratios, an inhabited Greek island in the northern Aegean, is demilitarised,^[11] despite the lack of any such provision in the relevant treaties. Agios Efstratios (or Î†Î³Î¹Î¿Ï‚ Î•Ï…ÏƒÏ„ÏÎ¬Ï„Î¹Î¿Ï‚ in Greek, or Saint Eustratius, is a very quiet, isolated, unvegetated, small isle between the greater islands of Limnos and Lesbos in the northern Aegean Sea. ...

Strategies of conflict resolution

The decades since the 1970s have seen a repeated heightening and abating of political and military tensions over the Aegean. Thus, the "Sismik I" crisis of 1987 was followed by a series of negotiations and agreements in Davos and Brussels in 1988. Again, after the Imia/Kardak crisis of 1996, there came an agreement over peaceful neighbourly relations reached at a meeting in Madrid in 1997. The period since about 1999 has been marked by a steady improvement of bilateral relations. Year 1970 (MCMLXX) was a common year starting on Thursday (link shows full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1987 (MCMLXXXVII) was a common year starting on Thursday (link displays 1987 Gregorian calendar). ... Davos viewed from air Davos is a town in eastern Switzerland, in the canton of GraubÃ¼nden, on the Landwasser River. ... For other places with the same name, see Brussels (disambiguation). ... Year 1988 (MCMLXXXVIII) was a leap year starting on Friday (link displays 1988 Gregorian calendar). ... Year 1996 (MCMXCVI) was a leap year starting on Monday (link will display full 1996 Gregorian calendar). ... This article is about the Spanish capital. ... For the band, see 1997 (band). ... This article is about the year. ...

For years, the Aegean dispute has been a matter not only about conflicting claims of substance. Rather, proposed strategies of how to resolve the substantial differences have themselves constituted a matter of heated dispute. Whereas Turkey has traditionally preferred to regard the whole set of topics as a political issue, requiring bilateral political negotiation,^[1] Greece views them as separate and purely legal issues, requiring only the application of existing principles of international law. Turkey has advocated direct negotiation, with a view to establishing what it would regard as an equitable compromise. Greece refuses to accept any process that would put it under pressure to engage in a give-and-take over what it perceives as inalienable and unnegotiable sovereign rights. Up to the late 1990s, the only avenue of conflict resolution that Greece deemed acceptable was to submit the issues separately to the International Court of Justice in The Hague. Year 1990 (MCMXC) was a common year starting on Monday (link displays the 1990 Gregorian calendar). ... The International Court of Justice (known colloquially as the World Court or ICJ; French: ) is the primary judicial organ of the United Nations. ... Coordinates: , Country Netherlands Province South Holland Area (2006) - Municipality 98. ...

The resulting stalemate between both sides over process was partially changed after 1999, when the European summit of Helsinki opened up a path towards Turkey's accession to the EU. In the summit agreement, Turkey accepted an obligation to solve its bilateral disputes with Greece before actual accession talks would start. This was perceived as giving Greece a new tactical advantage over Turkey in determining which paths of conflict resolution to choose. During the following years, both countries held regular bilateral talks on the level of technical specialists, trying to determine possible future procedures. According to press reports ^{[citation needed]}, both sides seemed close to an agreement about how to submit the dispute to the court at The Hague, a step which would have fulfilled many of the old demands of Greece. However, a newly elected Greek government under Kostas Karamanlis, soon after it took office in March 2004, opted out of this plan, because Ankara was insisting that all the issues, including Imia/Kardak and the "grey zones", belonged to a single negotiating item. Athens saw them as separate.^[12] However, Greek policy remained at the forefront in advocating closer links between Ankara and the EU. This resulted in the European Union finally opening accession talks with Turkey without its previous demands having been fulfilled. This article is about the year. ... One of a number of posters created to promote the Marshall Plan in Europe, featuring Turkey Turkeys formal application to join the European Communityâ€”the organization that has since developed into the European Unionâ€”was made on April 14th, 1987. ... This article is about the Greek Prime Minister whose term began in 2004. ... Year 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Contents

Maritime and areal zones of influence

The territorial waters

The national airspace

The continental shelf

The Flight Information Regions

The FIR demarcation

Military overflights

The islands

Demilitarized status

Lemnos and Samothrace

The Dodecanese

The remaining islands

Greek settlement programmes

"Grey zones"

Imia/Kardak

Other "Grey Zones"

Strategies of conflict resolution

See also

References

Contents

Maritime and areal zones of influence GA_googleFillSlot("encyclopedia_square");

The territorial waters

The national airspace

The continental shelf

The Flight Information Regions

The FIR demarcation

Military overflights

The islands

Demilitarized status

Lemnos and Samothrace

The Dodecanese

The remaining islands

Greek settlement programmes

"Grey zones"

Imia/Kardak

Other "Grey Zones"

Strategies of conflict resolution

See also

References

Maritime and areal zones of influence