|
The Kardak Dispute
On January 28, 1996, the Government of Greece issued bellicose
statements regarding the status of the Kardak Rocks, a mere
3.8 miles off the coast of Turkey in the Aegean Sea. This
is yet another example of unfounded Greek claims to sovereignty
even at 3.8 miles and results from long-standing bilateral
disputes concerning the Aegean, including territorial waters,
demilitarization of the Aegean islands, air space and the
continental shelf.
 Turkey
is committed to defusing, rather than increasing, tension
in this region. The dispute over the Kardak Rocks and other
small islands and islets in the region, as well as the delimitation
of the territorial waters, is an ongoing one. In creating
a problem by extending its sovereignty to the islands beyond
those ceded to Athens in 1947, Greece is acting irresponsibly
by increasing tensions for domestic political consumption
and by trying to involve others in the international community
in the fray.
It is obvious that the possession of small islands, islets
and rocks in the Aegean the status of which have not been
clearly defined by international documents has yet to be
determined by agreement. Therefore, attempts by Greece to
inhabit the small islands, islets and rocks in question,
in an artificial and demonstrative fashion, can in no way
create any legal consequences in regard to their status.
The Government of Turkey is ready to enter into negotiations
with Greece, with a view to determining the possession of
small islands, islets and rocks in the Aegean. After such
negotiations, the issue of delimitation of the territorial
waters could also be discussed and resolved. In the meantime,
Turkey would like to suggest that the parties refrain from
any unilateral act that would aggravate the situation in
the region.
|
