The Eez Dispute in the Eastern Mediterranean

The Eastern Mediterranean, which has an important location in world politics, has been on the agenda as a geopolitical region where energy activities have intensified in recent years and monitored closely by multiple states. In order to fulfil their energy needs in the Eastern Mediterranean, several states have unilaterally declared the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) and sign bilateral agreements without considering the rights of third states. However, the EEZ is a maritime area that should be delimited on the basis of international conventions, customary law or decisions of international courts in accordance with the equitable principles. The problem in the Eastern Mediterranean is a delimitation dispute that should be resolved by a treaty between all coastal states within the framework of the rules of the law of the sea. This paper aims to define the EEZ, which is a significant concept in the law of the sea, its historical development, the rights, sovereignty and liabilities of the states in this region, and the legal principles on which the disputes arising from the delimitation practices should be based. In this context, the EEZ delimitation agreements signed in the region are analysed within the framework of both the rules of the law of the sea (legislation) and the judicial and arbitral decisions (case law).