The assessment of conflicting maritime jurisdictions crisis between Turkey and Greece in the Eastern Mediterranean on the axis of Gunboat diplomacy

While the maritime jurisdictional problem between Turkey and Greece has a long history, recent natural gas exploration the Eastern Mediterranean has deepened this problem. The significant economic value of these natural gas reserves has drawn the attention of regional and global actors to this region. In such a global equation, Turkey has seen the defense of its national rights and interests as a fundamental foreign policy goal under the Blue Homeland doctrine. In this sense, the aim of this paper is to examine and exemplify Turkey's application of Gunboat diplomacy, one of the important types of coercive diplomacy and one of the key political arguments Turkey relies on when defending its national rights and interests. The study also aims to demonstrate the favorable outcomes of this diplomacy for Turkey within the scope of the maritime jurisdictional problem between Turkey and Greece and to express its impact on Turkey's role as a game-changer and status quo influencer in the region.