Are Island Allowed to Announce Continental Sea Shelves or EEZ in the Eastern Mediterranean? Turkey-Greece Dispute

The political and international disputes regarding recognition of EEZ and Continental Sea Shelves around islands have been a long discussion point throughout history. However, the importance of these islands and the EEZ are increasing which results in geopolitical disputes and maximalist claims of Greece in the Eastern Mediterranean Continental Sea Shelves leading to major friction between two neighbouring countries, namely Turkey and Greece. After the discovery of hydrocarbon resources around the offshore North and South Cyprus, the problem of EEZ and Continental Sea Shelves around the Mediterranean Sea has led to an increasing geopolitical issue. In this study, the topic will be discussed thoroughly with respect to the rights of islands in the scope of EEZ and Continental Sea Shelves. Economic benefits and commercialization of gas in the future will be investigated with different scenario analysis.