Our View: Turkey’s GSI concession comes with a catch

Reading the comments made by Turkey’s foreign minister Hakan Fidan about the construction work for the Great Sea Interconnector (GSI), some might conclude that this opened the way for the resolution of the dispute. Fidan told the Greek newspaper Ta Nea that Turkey would not object to the carrying out of sea-bed surveys for the GSI so long as it was notified in writing. The matter was discussed at a meeting between President Tayyip Erdogan and Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis in New York, said Fidan, who explained Ankara’s thinking in the following way: “What we are asking is that when a ship conducts research at sea, it sends us a written notification, not just an oral one, stating ‘we are going to undertake specific actions in this area, here are the coordinates.’ That is all we are asking for.” This appears to be a reasonable approach, but it cannot be accepted by Greece given the ongoing dispute between the two countries over territorial waters. Notifying Turkey in writing about work that would be done in the sea, would mean that Greece recognised Turkey’s claims on the sea south of Crete, which it does not. By the same reasoning, if Turkey turned a blind eye to the work being carried out in waters it claimed sovereignty over, would indicate it has given up its claims. This is part of the ongoing argument between the two countries, with Turkey claiming islands have no maritime zone beyond their territorial waters, which do not extend beyond six nautical miles. Greece has always cited the UN Convention on the Law of the Seas that states that every island is entitled to maritime zones – continental shelf, territorial waters and EEZ. Despite Fidan’s seemingly reasonable comments, we will have a problem because it is very unlikely Turkey will receive written notification from Greece. The Cyprus government, however, said a navtex for the seabed surveys would be issued before the end of this month. The surveys would be carried out by a French-flagged ship which might make it more difficult for Turkey to stop it – the matter had been raised at a meeting with President Emmanuel Macron, said Fidan. Perhaps the written notification would be submitted by the French investment company, Meridiam, which has the majority shareholding in GSI, thus keeping everyone happy. Whether this would be acceptable or Turkey would insist on a written notification from the Greek government nobody knows. Unfortunately, matters have been further complicated by the ratification of the Turkey-Libya maritime boundary agreement by the Libyan parliament, which completely ignores the existence of Rhodes, Kasos and Crete and their maritime zones. The Turkey-Libya agreement has been dismissed as illegal by Greece and has been condemned by the EU, but it could make finding a GSI solution even more difficult.