A Turkish newspaper known to be pro-government claims that Greece and Egypt are trying to “strangulate” Turkey in the eastern Mediterranean through the delimitation of large Exclusive Economic Zones (EEZ).
An EEZ is a sea zone prescribed by the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea over which a state has special rights regarding the exploration and use of marine resources, including energy production from water and wind.
Following the tripartite summit of Greece, Cyprus and Egypt that took place in Crete, the Turkish newspaper Yeni Safak says that Athens and Cairo are aiming to demarcate a vast maritime zone that will start southeast of Crete and drastically curb Turkey’s opportunities in the Mediterranean.
According to the paper, the plan “condemns” Turkey to about 41 square kilometers of the high seas.
It also presents a map claiming that the Turkish EEZ should be more than three times larger bordering the Egyptian EEZ, in effect dividing Greece completely from Cyprus.
