Summary

Increasing energy deficits and advances in technology worldwide led states and international energy companies to seek energy source exploration in offshore areas as an alternative to land energy reserves. As a result of the studies, it has been determined that the seas are rather rich in energy reserves. The availability of energy resources in the seas has prompted states to expand their maritime jurisdictions and their sovereign rights in these areas. In this respect, the interest in the energy resources that are of strategic importance in the world has moved away from the land and shifted to the sea areas and caused the emergence of sea energy law sui generis in the field of law. The determination and limitation of the jurisdiction of states on energy resources in the world's seas has been attempted to be determined by international conventions and multilateral agreements. Nevertheless, in many areas that have offshore energy sources, including the Eastern Mediterranean, the ultimate boundaries of the sea areas of coastal states have not been determined. For this reason, the unilateral claims of sovereignty of the states in disputed maritime areas, especially in fields where hydrocarbon resources are intense, cause conflicts.

Preventing this situation will be possible by conducting qualified studies on the legal limitation and determination of maritime jurisdictions. Lack of Turkey's legal studies in the eastern Mediterranean, as the most powerful country in the region, makes the political, military and technical operations questionable in terms of international law. With this Project, it is primarily aimed to investigate the sovereign rights of Turkey in Turkey's coastal areas.

In addition to determination the limits and scope of the sovereignty of the states in international law on the coastal areas, the fair distribution of resources in the areas beyond national jurisdiction is regulated in the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, 1982. There have not been enough studies conducted on this area in Turkey, which is considered as the common heritage of mankind. Fortunately, scientific and technical activities related to this field, in recent years, including a portion of the Arctic and parts of Antarctic have started execution in Turkey. However, it has been observed that there is a lack of legal work to ensure that these studies are carried out on a legitimate basis. Therefore, within the scope of the project, it is aimed to investigate the sovereign rights over energy resources in the areas beyond national jurisdiction.

As a result of conducted researches, neither Turkey's current maritime jurisdiction areas nor the areas beyond national jurisdiction have a sufficient and qualified litterateur research about them. Within the scope of the project, it is aimed that domestic and international litterateur research is made, data is collected, data expert interviews are made, and a field research on comparative and international law perspectives is made for the elimination of the lack of litterateur in Turkey.