IV
106TH CONGRESS
2D SESSION
H. CON. RES. 340
Expressing the sense of the Congress regarding Turkey’s claims of sovereignty
over islands and islets in the Aegean Sea.
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
MAY 25, 2000
Mr. ANDREWS (for himself, Mr. BILIRAKIS, Mr. KLINK, Mrs. MALONEY of
New York, Mr. PAYNE, Mr. BLAGOJEVICH, Mr. MCGOVERN, Mr. SHER-
MAN, Mr. CROWLEY, Mr. FILNER, Mr. KNOLLENBERG, Ms. ROS-
LEHTINEN, Mr. MCNULTY, Mr. COYNE, and Mr. ACKERMAN) submitted
the following concurrent resolution; which was referred to the Committee
on International Relations
CONCURRENT RESOLUTION
Expressing the sense of the Congress regarding Turkey’s
claims of sovereignty over islands and islets in the Ae-
gean Sea.
Whereas the maritime borders between Greece and Turkey in
the Aegean Sea have been delimited in international law
as having been agreed, established, and settled;
Whereas Turkey is claiming sovereignty over numerous is-
lands and islets and unspecified ‘‘gray areas’’ in the Ae-
gean Sea;
Whereas in article 15 of the Treaty of Peace with Turkey
and Other Instruments, done at Lausanne, Switzerland,
on July 24, 1923, Turkey renounced, in favor of Italy,
•HCON 340 IH
all right, title, and interest in the 12 enumerated islands
in the Dodecanese region that were occupied by Italy at
the time of the Treaty, including the island of Calimnos
and the islets dependent on such islands;
Whereas the Convention Between Italy and Turkey for the
Delimitation of the Territorial Waters Between the
Coasts of Anatolia and the Island of Castellorizo, done at
Ankara, Turkey, on January 4, 1932, established the
rights of Italy and Turkey in coastal islands, waters, and
rocks in the Aegean Sea and delimited a maritime fron-
tier between the two countries;
Whereas a protocol done at Ankara, Turkey, on December
28, 1932, and annexed to 1932 Convention memorialized
an agreement on a water boundary between Italy and
Turkey, which placed the Imia islets under the sov-
ereignty of Italy;
Whereas in article 14 of the 1947 Paris Treaty of Peace with
Italy, Italy ceded to Greece the Dodecanese islands under
Italy’s control, including the island of Calimnos and the
adjacent islets of Imia;
Whereas by resolution dated February 15, 1996, the Euro-
pean Parliament resolved that the water boundaries es-
tablished in the 1923 Lausanne Treaty of Peace and the
1932 Convention and Protocol Between Italy and Turkey
are the borders between Greece and Turkey in the Ae-
gean Sea;
Whereas Turkish Government claims on Aegean islands with-
in Greek sovereign territory contravene these treaties,
convention, and protocol;
Whereas a fundamental principle of international law is that,
once agreed, a boundary remains stable and predictable;
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Whereas the eastern Mediterranean region, in which the Ae-
gean Sea is located, is a region of vital strategic impor-
tance to the United States;
Whereas both Greece and Turkey are members of the North
Atlantic Treaty Organization and allies of the United
States; and
Whereas it is in the interest of the United States and other
nations to resolve disputes peacefully: Now, therefore, be
it—
Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate
concurring), That it is the sense of the Congress that—
(1) the water boundaries established in the
1923 Lausanne Treaty of Peace, the 1932 Conven-
tion and Protocol Between Italy and Turkey, and
the 1947 Paris Treaty of Peace, under which the
Dodecanese islands and adjacent islets were ceded
by Italy to Greece, are the borders between Greece
and Turkey in the Aegean Sea; and
(2) any party, including Turkey, objecting to
these established boundaries should seek redress in
the International Court of Justice at The Hague.
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