Cavusoglu says Turkey could declare EEZ in Eastern Mediterranean

Ankara could declare an exclusive economic zone in ​​the Eastern Mediterranean if needed to protect its fishing rights, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said on Saturday.

The minister said that while the declaration of a continental shelf is sufficient to secure all the undersea resources, especially hydrocarbons, the declaration of an exclusive economic zone is important for fishing.

Noting that Turkey has a similar zone in the Black Sea, Cavusoglu argued that “we can also declare it in the Mediterranean.”

“If fishing is an important sector and priority for us in the Mediterranean and there is such a need, it will be done. The necessary measures must be taken for this, but because there was no such need in the Mediterranean, no exclusive economic zone has been declared,” he said.