Greece steps up criticism of Turkey in Aegean row

Greece has accused Turkey of violating international law in a row over contested waters in the Aegean and the east Mediterranean, stepping up its criticism amid growing tensions over the decades-old dispute between the two neighbors.

Turkey and Greece have been locked in a dispute for decades over territorial rights in the Aegean and the east Mediterranean. Despite a major political rapprochement since the late 1990s and growing cooperation, tension over the disputed waters has been brewing lately as economic crisis-hit Greece hopes to find oil and gas reserves in the east Mediterranean. Turkey also wants to conduct exploration in the disputed region and says the state-owned oil company TPAO is legally authorized to do so.
In a statement on Tuesday, the Greek Foreign Ministry claimed that Turkey's stance is in violation of Article 121 of the UN Law of the Sea Convention, which supports the Greek position that islands are taken into consideration in the delimitation of sea borders. Turkey, on the other hand, insists the continental mainland, not the islands off the Turkish coasts, should be taken into consideration while determining the boundaries in the Aegean because otherwise the Aegean Sea could turn into a Greek lake where Turkey has no territorial rights.

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