Turkey, Kastellorizo and Greek elections

In 2012 Turkey formally laid claim to the northern section of the Eastern Mediterranean. It was the year that several maps depicting sea areas west of Cyprus and south of the eastern Aegean islands of Rhodes and Kastellorizo were published in the Turkish government gazette.

The Turkish government was ceding research and development rights of these areas to state energy company TPAO. The timing was directly linked to political developments in Greece. The maps were published on April 27, 2012, 10 days ahead of parliamentary elections in Greece on May 6.

It would be a mistake to treat the concession as an isolated gesture aimed simply at taking stock of Turkey's territorial claims in the region ahead of a political changeover in Greece. It was part of a larger plan to claim the biggest part of the Eastern Mediterranean continental shelf. Similar concessions to TPAO...