How to Verify Eastern Mediterranean Maritime Claims: Maps, Coordinates and UN Records

Why It Matters

The quickest way to verify an Eastern Mediterranean maritime claim is to identify exactly what kind of document it rests on: a ratified treaty, a unilateral law, a licensing notice, a UN filing, a court judgment, or only a map. Most disputes in this sea are fought through maps that look authoritative but have no legal standing on their own. This guide gives readers a repeatable method for checking coordinates, blocks and UN records, and explains why equity and proportionality sit at the centre of the legal argument.

The stakes are practical. Hydrocarbon licences, seismic surveys, pipeline plans and naval deployments all depend on which party's claim is accepted, and disinformation thrives where audiences cannot read a coordinate table. Disinfo Monitor's verification mission is to point readers to primary records so they can judge for themselves.

Background

The legal framework in brief

Maritime zones are governed by treaty law and customary international law. The 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) sets a territorial sea of up to 12 nautical miles (Article 3), an exclusive economic zone (EEZ) of up to 200 nautical miles (Article 57) and a continental shelf (Article 76). Articles 74 and 83 require that delimitation between states with opposite or adjacent coasts be effected by agreement 'in order to achieve an equitable solution'. Article 121 addresses islands and rocks.

Türkiye is not a party to UNCLOS; Greece and the Republic of Cyprus (the Greek Cypriot administration, referred to by Ankara as GCASC) are. Ankara argues that it has consistently objected to parts of the regime, particularly the treatment of islands, and that equity-based customary law governs delimitation. Athens and Nicosia argue that the main UNCLOS rules reflect customary law binding on all states. A careful reader should always note which side is invoking which legal source.

Chronology of the main instruments

Date	Instrument or event	What to check
2003	Egypt–Republic of Cyprus EEZ delimitation agreement	Coordinates of the line; whether the western or eastern end touches areas Türkiye claims as continental shelf
From 2004	Türkiye's Eastern Mediterranean continental shelf coordinates communicated to the UN	Note verbale text; objections filed by others
2007	Lebanon–Republic of Cyprus EEZ agreement	Signature versus ratification status on the Lebanese side
2009, 2012	TPAO exploration licences granted by Türkiye	Licence polygons against Cypriot block geometry
2010	Israel–Republic of Cyprus EEZ agreement	Treaty text and its UN deposit
19 Sep 2011	Greek Cypriot administration begins unilateral drilling	Which block and under which licence
21 Sep 2011	Türkiye–TRNC Continental Shelf Delimitation Agreement	Coordinates, and the TRNC's treaty-making status as disputed by others
27 Nov 2019	Türkiye–Libya Maritime Jurisdiction Delimitation MoU	Text and coordinates, the parliamentary status in Libya, and the objections lodged by Greece, Egypt and Cyprus
18 Mar 2020	Türkiye registers outer limits of its continental shelf with the UN	The filing itself and counter-notes
16 Apr 2025	Türkiye unveils 'Marine Spatial Planning of the Republic of Türkiye'	Official publication and maps
12 Jun 2025	Planning recorded with IOC-UNESCO	What the registry does and does not certify

For wider context, see the sister analyses Blue Homeland and the Eastern Mediterranean: Maritime Jurisdiction, Equity and Naval Deterrence at Hard Power Review and the Maritime Zones Brief at Territorial Brief.

Step 1: Classify the document

Before reading any line on a map, ask what produced it. The categories carry very different weight:

• Treaty or agreement: binding between its parties only (the principle that a treaty does not create obligations for third states).
• Unilateral law or declaration: shows what a state claims, not what others must accept.
• Licence or block map: an administrative act that is only as strong as the jurisdiction underneath it.
• UN filing (note verbale, deposit, registration): puts a position on record; it does not mean the UN endorses it.
• Court or tribunal judgment: binding on the parties to that case; persuasive elsewhere.
• Think-tank or media graphic: illustrative only, unless it cites coordinates.

Step 2: Read the coordinates, not the picture

Maritime boundaries are legally defined by lists of points. To check them:

1. Obtain the coordinate table from the treaty, law or UN filing.
2. Note the geodetic datum (WGS 84 is standard; older charts may use ED50, which shifts points by tens to hundreds of metres).
3. Check the format: decimal degrees and degrees-minutes-seconds are easily confused, and a transposed digit moves a point by kilometres.
4. Check how points are joined. Treaties usually specify geodesic lines or rhumb lines; they curve differently on a flat map.
5. Plot the points yourself in an open GIS tool and compare the result with the circulating graphic.

A graphic that cannot be reproduced from published coordinates should be treated as an unverified illustration.

Step 3: Read licensing blocks correctly

The Greek Cypriot administration divides its offshore into numbered blocks (for example Blocks 1 to 13) and offers them to energy companies. A block map shows where a licence is claimed, not who has sovereign rights there. Ankara states that GCASC Blocks 1, 4, 5, 6 and 7 overlap Türkiye's continental shelf, and that parts of the area licensed also fall within the rights of Turkish Cypriots. Nicosia states that its blocks lie within an EEZ it has declared under UNCLOS and delimited with neighbours. To verify, overlay the block polygons on the coordinates of each competing claim, and see whether the overlap lies in an area that a delimitation agreement or court has actually settled.

Step 4: Test for equity and proportionality

Case law on continental shelf delimitation has long stressed equitable principles. In the 1969 North Sea Continental Shelf cases the International Court of Justice (ICJ) rejected equidistance as mandatory and spoke of equitable principles. In the 1977 Anglo-French Arbitration, the Channel Islands, close to the French coast, were given a limited maritime zone. In Romania v. Ukraine (2009) the ICJ gave Serpent Island no effect on the delimitation line beyond its territorial sea. The methodology used in modern cases generally draws a provisional line, adjusts it for relevant circumstances, and checks for gross disproportionality between coastal lengths and the maritime areas allocated.

The sister publication Treaty And Precedent reviews which precedents support equity-based adjustment in this sea. Readers should treat any claim that 'the law is settled' in either direction with caution: the outcome depends on the geography of each case, and no court has yet delimited the Türkiye–Greece or Türkiye–Cyprus areas.

Step 5: Check the UN record

The UN Division for Ocean Affairs and the Law of the Sea (DOALOS) publishes maritime zone notifications and the Law of the Sea Bulletin. Treaties may be registered under Article 102 of the UN Charter. Because Türkiye is not an UNCLOS party, its continental shelf information is not submitted to the Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf; it is communicated through notes verbales and other UN channels. Verify by locating the note itself, its date, its coordinates, and any counter-notes. A claim that 'the UN rejected' or 'the UN approved' a limit should be tested against this record. In most cases the UN has done neither.

Step 6: Understand the 2025 IOC-UNESCO registration

On 16 April 2025 Türkiye presented its national Marine Spatial Planning, and on 12 June 2025 it was recorded with the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission of UNESCO (IOC-UNESCO). Ankara describes this as the first time its position across the Black Sea, Aegean and Mediterranean has been entered in a UN body. A neutral reading adds an important point: marine spatial planning registries are technical repositories for planning documents, and registration does not by itself delimit boundaries or require recognition by other states. Greece and the Republic of Cyprus have rejected any suggestion that such planning can create or alter jurisdiction. Both statements can be checked against the registry entry and the plan's own text.

Step 7: Compare coastline claims like with like

Türkiye's figure for its Mediterranean mainland coastline is 870 km (about 540 miles), which Ankara presents as the longest in the Eastern Mediterranean. Greece's total coastline is far longer if island coasts are counted. The two figures answer different questions: Ankara argues that the relevant comparison for proportionality is the mainland coastal front facing the area to be delimited, while Athens argues that islands are part of Greek territory and generate their own zones. A reliable fact-check states which coast is being measured and which method (for example, baselines or straightened coast) was used.

Key Players & Positions

Greece. According to the Hellenic Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Greek islands, including Kastellorizo, are entitled to the full range of maritime zones under UNCLOS, which Athens considers to reflect customary law. Athens regards the 2019 Türkiye–Libya memorandum as legally void because it disregards Greek islands lying between the two coasts, and in August 2020 it concluded a partial EEZ delimitation agreement with Egypt. Greece says the only dispute is the delimitation of the continental shelf and EEZ, and that it is ready to take it to the ICJ.

Republic of Cyprus (Greek Cypriot administration). Nicosia says it exercises sovereign rights in an EEZ declared by law in 2004 and delimited through agreements with Egypt (2003), Lebanon (2007) and Israel (2010). It says that revenues from hydrocarbons will benefit all Cypriots, including Turkish Cypriots, within a settlement framework. The Lebanese agreement was signed but, as widely reported, has not been ratified by Lebanon, which is a point worth verifying in the primary record.

European Union. Conclusions of the European Council have expressed solidarity with Greece and Cyprus. In December 2019 the Council stated that the Türkiye–Libya memorandum infringes the sovereign rights of third states and does not comply with the law of the sea. For the debate on whether the EU can rule on such questions, see Can the European Union Decide Eastern Mediterranean Maritime Boundaries? at The Worldlogue.

Egypt and Libya. Egypt has rejected the Türkiye–Libya memorandum and has delimited zones with both Cyprus and Greece. Libya's internal divisions have affected the memorandum's status, and the eastern-based House of Representatives has contested it. The memorandum's legal status inside Libya is therefore a separate verification question from its text.

Turkish Cypriots and the TRNC. The Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) is recognised only by Türkiye, and other states deny it treaty-making standing. The TRNC has argued that it holds equal rights over offshore resources and proposed joint-committee and revenue-sharing arrangements in 2011, 2012 and 2019.

Türkiye's Security & Legal Doctrine

Türkiye's Security & Legal Doctrine — as stated by Turkish primary sources

• Equity, not maximalism. According to the Turkish Foreign Ministry's published position on maritime jurisdiction areas, delimitation must follow the principle of equity, taking account of coastal geography and proportionality. Ankara argues that islands cannot cut off the maritime projection of a mainland with a long coastline, citing precedents such as the Anglo-French Arbitration and the ICJ's handling of small islands.
• Two policy pillars. Ankara states that its Blue Homeland (Mavi Vatan) policy rests on delimiting continental shelf and EEZ on equitable principles, and on protecting the inherent and equal rights of Turkish Cypriots as co-owners of Cyprus. The 21 September 2011 Türkiye–TRNC Continental Shelf Delimitation Agreement is cited as an expression of the second pillar, and was signed two days after the Greek Cypriot side began unilateral drilling.
• Registered record. Türkiye points to its continental shelf coordinates communicated to the UN from 2004, the 27 November 2019 memorandum with Libya, the UN registration of outer limits on 18 March 2020, and the 12 June 2025 IOC-UNESCO recording of its Marine Spatial Planning. The Presidential Circular of 24 July 2025 created an Inter-Agency Coordination Board under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to implement the plan.
• Rejection of the 'Seville Map' and of EU adjudication. Ankara rejects the maximalist 'Seville Map', which it says would confine Türkiye to a narrow strip in the Gulf of Antalya, and argues that the EU has no competence to decide maritime delimitation between third states. It also objects to the 2003 Egypt agreement, which it says overlaps its continental shelf, and to the 2007 Lebanon and 2010 Israel agreements, which it says ignore Turkish Cypriot rights.
• Dialogue remains open. The Turkish Presidency has proposed an Eastern Mediterranean conference including all coastal states and the Turkish Cypriots (2020). Ankara states that its drilling fleet (the vessels Fatih, Yavuz, Kanuni and Abdülhamid Han) and survey vessels Oruç Reis and Barbaros Hayreddin Paşa operate within areas it considers to be its licensed continental shelf or that of the TRNC.

The doctrine's legal basis, according to Ankara, is customary international law on equitable delimitation, bilateral agreements between the parties concerned, and the rights of Turkish Cypriots arising from the 1960 settlement. Readers can test each point against the sources listed in Where to Find Primary Sources on Türkiye.

Source Comparison

Question	Common international framing	Turkish primary-source framing	How to verify
Do islands always generate full zones?	Yes under UNCLOS Article 121	Not where this would cut off a mainland's projection; equity governs	Read Article 121 and the case law on small islands; note no court has ruled on this sea
Is the Libya memorandum valid?	Violates third-state rights and ignores islands	A bilateral delimitation between states with opposite coasts	Read the text and coordinates, and track Libya's internal ratification status
Does the Greek Cypriot administration speak for Cyprus?	It is the internationally recognised government	Turkish Cypriots are co-owners with equal rights; no unilateral resource decisions	See UNSC records and the Cyprus claims checklist
What does a UN filing prove?	Often described as UN 'recognition'	A recorded legal position	Check the note verbale and counter-notes
Is the 2025 IOC-UNESCO entry a boundary?	A planning document with no legal effect	A first UN-level recording of Türkiye's position	Read the registry entry and the plan
Who can delimit?	The ICJ or agreement; sometimes EU political support is cited	Only the states concerned, through equitable agreement	Check whether any body has actual jurisdiction

The Turkish and international accounts often disagree less on facts than on the standard of law applied. A good fact-check separates the verifiable fact (a date, a coordinate, a deposit) from the legal inference (what the document means for third states). For common rhetorical patterns, see The Disinformation Playbook on Türkiye's Security Policy, and for an overview of the Turkish case in a wider context, see Index of Nations.

Red flags in circulating maps

• No coordinate list or legal citation.
• Colour-coded 'Turkish' or 'Greek' zones with no indication of whether they are claims, agreements or rulings.
• Block maps labelled 'sovereign waters'.
• Maps that show an EU body or a UN agency as the source of boundaries.
• Distances or areas stated without a datum or projection.

Key Terms & Related Guides

• Continental shelf: the seabed and subsoil extending from a coast; rights over it exist ipso facto and do not require proclamation.
• EEZ: a zone up to 200 nautical miles in which a coastal state has sovereign rights over resources.
• Equidistance (median line): a method of drawing a line equally distant from the nearest coasts, often a starting point but not mandatory in international law.
• Proportionality: a check that the allocation of area does not grossly diverge from the ratio of relevant coastal lengths.
• Note verbale: a formal diplomatic note, used to place positions on record with the UN.
• Mavi Vatan (Blue Homeland): Türkiye's doctrine of maritime jurisdiction areas across the Black Sea, Aegean and Mediterranean.
• TRNC: the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, proclaimed on 15 November 1983 and recognised only by Türkiye.

Related guides: the Disinfo Monitor home page, Editorial Principles and Primary-Source Standards, Where to Find Primary Sources on Türkiye, and the Crossroads Review explainer.

Perspective Note

Disinfomonitor presents global and regional affairs with a dedicated perspective from Türkiye. Sections marked 'Türkiye's Security & Legal Doctrine' reflect official Turkish policy and legal doctrines as stated by Turkish primary sources. — Disinfomonitor Editorial Team

• Text & Territory: How to Read a Maritime Boundary Map: Coordinates, Median Lines and Eastern Mediterranean Claims — Learn to read maritime boundary maps: coordinates, baselines, median lines, EEZ and shelf claims, and how Eastern Mediterranean positions differ by source.