Abstract
Turkey’s position towards transboundary water cooperation is widely perceived as being reluctant. This view mainly originates from disputes that arose over the Euphrates and Tigris rivers between Turkey, being the upstream country, and the downstream riparians, Syria and Iraq. In addition, Turkey’s vote against the 1997 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Non-navigational Uses of International Watercourses (UN Watercourses Convention) as well as Turkey’s refusal to discuss transboundary water issues within the context of the 2002 Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) Economic Forum explains the view of Turkey’s critics.
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Notes
- 1.
For further details refer to the summaries of the OSCE 10th Economic Forum and of its respective preparatory meetings, available at http://www.osce.org/eea/documents.html.
- 2.
Turkey is party to the UNECE Convention on Long-range Transboundary Air Pollution since 1983.
- 3.
The UN Convention on the Non-Navigational Uses of International Watercourses was adopted by 103 votes in favour to 3 against (Turkey, China, and Burundi) with 27 abstentions on May 21st, 1997 in New York.
- 4.
Compare UN General Assembly, 51st session: Summary Records of the 12th to 25th and 52nd to 62nd meetings: 6th Committee held at headquarters, New York between 17 September 1996 and 4 April 1997, U.N. Doc A/C.6/51/SR.12 and following.
- 5.
See The Statement of Turkey: UN GAOR, 51st Session, 99th Plenary Meeting, U.N. Doc. A/51/PV.99 (1997), 5.
- 6.
See U.N. Doc A/C.6/51/SR.62 (1997), 8.
- 7.
See U.N. Doc. A/C.6/51/SR.61 (1997), 3.
- 8.
Adopted in Barcelona, Spain, 16 February 1976; entered into force: 12 February 1978; amended: Barcelona, Spain, 9-10 June 1995. New Title: Convention for the Protection of the Marine Environment and the Coastal Region of the Mediterranean (entered into force on 9 July 2004).
- 9.
The Protocol for the Prevention of Pollution in the Mediterranean Sea by Dumping from Ships and Aircraft; the Protocol Concerning Cooperation in Preventing Pollution from Ships and, in Cases of Emergency, Combating Pollution of the Mediterranean Sea; the Protocol for the Protection of the Mediterranean Sea against Pollution from Land-Based Sources; the Protocol Concerning Specially Protected Areas and Biological Diversity in the Mediterranean; (in force) as well as the Protocol for the Protection of the Mediterranean Sea against Pollution Resulting from Exploration and Exploitation of the Continental Shelf and the Seabed and its Subsoil; and the Protocol on the Prevention of Pollution of the Mediterranean Sea by Transboundary Movements of Hazardous Wastes and their Disposal (pending).
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Kramer, A., Kibaroglu, A. (2011). Turkey’s Position towards International Water Law. In: Kramer, A., Kibaroglu, A., Scheumann, W. (eds) Turkey's Water Policy. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-19636-2_12
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