Maritime Relations of Peninsular Turkey: Surrounded by Hostile or Peaceful Waters?

This chapter critically examines the maritime boundary relations of Turkey to identify why it has differing practices in its seas and to understand the nature of its outstanding maritime disputes. First, the chapter briefly enquires the reasons why Turkey did not sign the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), although it actively participated in the Law of the Sea Conferences. Then, it studies the bilateral maritime boundary relations and explores how Turkey has put into practice the arguments it defended during the debates on the UNCLOS. After an assessment of the nature of Turkey’s maritime relations and the political strings attached to specific policies pursued, an overall evaluation is provided.