Turkey planning hydrocarbon exploration near Greek islands

Sections of 24 blocks outlined in the Turkish Government Gazette on May 30 stemming from the contentious maritime borders agreement signed last November between Turkey and the Tripoli-based government in Libya come within or beyond 6 nautical miles of the coasts of eastern Crete, Kasos, Karpathos and Rhodes, and overlap the Greek continental shelf. While Ankara has not designated a block off the island of Kastellorizo, it is clear from the way the blocks are designed that Ankara plans to challenge Greece's sovereignty in the area by reiterating its position that the Greek islands cannot claim a continental shelf but just 6 nautical miles of territorial waters.

The outline of the 24 blocks was published in the Gazette preparatory to the consignment of those blocks to the Turkish Petroleum Corporation (TPAO). The publication also included requests by TPAO to conduct...