KAAN TF-23

In terms of geography and the law of the sea, the Aegean islands are, in fact, islands isolated from the Greek mainland! To dispute this clear distinction is to demonstrate a lack of geographical knowledge... The ICJ's primary thesis is anchored in the "Equidistance/Relevant Circumstances" methodology, guided by the overarching principle that "the land dominates the sea" and that the final solution must achieve an equitable result. 🚫 The Anti-Cut-Off Principle (Non-Encroachment) The ICJ’s jurisprudence strictly dictates that a maritime boundary line must not block or "cut off" a state's mainland coast from its natural projection into the sea. Giving full weight to Greek islands situated right in front of the Anatolian coast (like Lesbos, Chios, Samos, and Rhodes) would completely engulf Türkiye's maritime access. To prevent this "cut-off effect," the ICJ routinely reduces the impact of such islands. ✂️ "Half-Effect" or "Enclaving" of Islands. The ICJ has established clear precedents showing that islands do not enjoy equal status to mainlands when they distort an equitable boundary line. The Court typically handles foreign islands located close to another country's mainland in two ways: • Enclaving (Cepping): The islands are given no continental shelf or EEZ of their own. They are completely surrounded by the other nation's maritime zone, allowed only a narrow belt of territorial waters (e.g., 6 nautical miles). A prime precedent is the 1977 Anglo-French Continental Shelf Arbitration, where the UK’s Channel Islands (located right off the coast of France) were enclaved to give France its fair share of the continental shelf. • Half-Effect: The Court calculates the boundary twice—once ignoring the islands, and once including them—and then draws the final line exactly halfway between the two results, significantly weakening the island's distorting effect (as seen in the 1985 Libya-Malta case) 📐 Proportionality of Coastal Lengths Türkiye's extensive and highly indented Anatolian coastline is a significant asset under ICJ doctrine. In cases like Black Sea (Romania v. Ukraine, 2009), the ICJ firmly reiterated that the distribution of maritime space must reasonably reflect the ratio of the coastal lengths of the parties. A geometric line that grants Greece the vast majority of the Aegean seabed despite Türkiye’s massive coastal presence would fail the Court's final proportionality check. In a hypothetical adjudication, the ICJ would not award Greece a sweeping boundary based blindly on its outer islands, nor would it completely wipe Greece out of the central Aegean. The Court would most likely draw a median line between the two mainlands and treat the Greek islands adjacent to Turkiye as enclaves, granting them territorial waters but stripping them of the capacity to generate a vast continental shelf at the expense of the Turkish mainland. Justice...