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

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.