Turkish Transport Minister Abdulkadir Uraloglu announced Tuesday that Turkey will sign an agreement with Syria to establish an Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), according to Turkish media outlet TGRT.
“We will finalize a maritime jurisdiction agreement with the Syrian administration. Additionally, we are developing an emergency action plan that encompasses air, rail, road, and communication services. Airports will also be reactivated,” he reportedly stated.
Athens is closely monitoring these developments. Greek diplomatic sources responded by noting the “situation in Syria is transitional” and “does not legitimize any such agreement.”
According to the TGRT report, Uraloglu’s statement was made after a cabinet meeting held Monday.
Ankara’s focus has recently shifted back to the potential benefits Turkey could gain from its strengthened role in Syria following the collapse of the Assad regime. This includes a renewed interest in the Eastern Mediterranean and the maritime boundaries in the region.
Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis recently decided to inform – in coordination with Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides – EU leaders about the reported revival of plans for an EEZ agreement between Turkey and Syria, modeled after the Turkish-Libyan agreement, in an effort to bring attention to an issue that had been largely overlooked by the political leadership in most European countries.
Raising awareness across Europe is a strategic tool that Athens, and especially Nicosia – directly impacted by the Turkish plan – could leverage.
In a fully plausible scenario, the EU could, at some point, include in one of its Summit conclusions a call for the respect of the sovereign rights and jurisdictions of the states bordering Syria, not only on land but also at sea. For Greece, this is seen as a realistic goal, especially given the negative precedent of the Turkish-Libyan agreement, signed in 2019.
The EU had officially condemned this agreement, stating that it could not have legal effect as it violated the rights of third states.
This story has been updated.
