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BNE Intellinews (21 November 2021)

Gav Don

Last month Greece signed a pair of new Defence and Security Agreements with the US and the UK, which mark the latest development in a larger Greek diplomatic coup over the course of the year.

The background to these new agreements (and earlier ones with Israel, France, Cyprus(*) and Egypt, on which more in a moment) is naturally Athens’ long exclusive economic zone (EEZ) dispute with Turkey. To recap on that (discussed in detail in this channel here), Greece is trying to establish a claim over the Kastellorizo Triangle and all of the Aegean (both illegal under UNCLOS), while Turkey is trying to establish a claim over most of Cyprus’ EEZ (equally illegal under UNCLOS). Neither party can go to the International Court of Justice to establish the legitimate components of their claims for fear of losing illegitimate ones. That leaves Greece and Turkey contemplating military action, but hampered by a mutual membership of NATO, whose members would be obliged to help whichever side was attacked by the other.

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(*) AVİM uses "Cyprus" as a geographic name. AVİM considers the expression "Republic of Cyprus" to mean the Greek Cypriot Administration of Southern Cyprus.