LEGAL AND POLITICAL ASPECTS OF THE AEGEAN DISPUTE AND ITS IMPLICATIONS FOR TURKEY’S RELATIONS WITH GREECE AND THE EUROPEAN UNION

Year 2015, Volume: 29 Issue: 4, 691 - 719, 14.05.2015

Ufuk Alkan

Abstract

The aim of this article is to evaluate the legal and political aspects of the Aegean dispute with special reference to its implications for Turkey’s relations with Greece and the European Union. The main argument of the article is that virtually all major attempts at rapprochement between Turkey and Greece have been sparked by crises stemming from their bilateral differences over the Aegean. Another argument of the article is that Greece has used the European Union’s decision making mechanism as leverage against Turkey to achieve its national interests. It is concluded in line with these arguments firstly that the Aegean dispute has influenced substantially Turkey’s relations with the European Union and secondly that certain conflicts that Turkey and Greece have experienced in their relations over the Aegean have been the stimulus behind the current rapprochement

Keywords

Aegean Dispute, Turkish Foreign Policy, Turkey-EU Relations

EGE SORUNU’NUN HUKUKÎ VE SİYASÎ BOYUTLARI VE TÜRKİYE’NİN YUNANİSTAN VE AVRUPA BİRLİĞİ İLE İLİŞKİLERİNE ETKİLERİ

Abstract

Bu makalenin amacı Ege Sorunu’nun hukukî ve siyasî yanlarını Türkiye’nin Yunanistan ve Avrupa Birliği ile ilişkilerine etkileri üzerinden değerlendirmektir. Makalenin temel argümanı Türkiye ve Yunanistan arasındaki hemen hemen bütün uzlaşma girişimlerinin Ege’ye ilişkin farklılıklarından kaynaklandığı şeklindedir. Diğer bir argüman ise Yunanistan’ın ulusal çıkarlarını gerçekleştirmek için Avrupa Birliği karar alma mekanizmasını Türkiye’ye karşı bir kaldıraç olarak kullandığı şeklindedir. Bu argümanlar doğrultusunda, birinci olarak, Ege Sorunu’nun Türkiye’nin Avrupa Birliği ile ilişkilerini önemli ölçüde etkilediği, ikinci olarak da Türkiye ve Yunanistan’ın Ege’ye ilişkin yaşadıkları çatışmaların devam etmekte olan uzlaşma sürecinin başlamasını kolaylaştırdığı sonucuna varılmaktadır.

Keywords

Ege Sorunu, Türk Dış Politikası, Türkiye-AB

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