Turkey’s grand assembly has ratified the BBNJ Agreement referring to the conservation and sustainable use of marine biological diversity of areas beyond national jurisdiction, with the development printed in the country’s government gazette.
The approval raised diplomatic eyebrows, as the agreement was achieved within the framework of the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), a landmark treaty that official Turkey has not ratified, let alone signed.
In fact, Turkey has long ignored and opposed specific provisions in UNCLOS that refer to territorial waters and delimitating maritime zones, especially in the Aegean, where Ankara disputes Athens’ rights under the very same international agreement.
According to the UN, the Intergovernmental Conference on Marine Biodiversity of Areas Beyond National Jurisdiction (BBNJ) adopted the agreement on Marine Biological Diversity of Areas Beyond National Jurisdiction (BBNJ Agreement), also known as the “High Seas Treaty,” by consensus on June 19, 2023. The agreement aimed to establish a framework for ocean conservation and sustainable use in international waters.
