Analysis | What lies behind Greece's “Marine Park” decision?
Prof. Dr. Hüseyin Işıksal, Special Advisor on International Relations and Diplomacy to the President of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC), penned for AA Analysis the plans behind Greece's unilateral declaration of two Marine Parks in the Aegean and Ionian Seas on July 21, 2025.
On July 21, 2025, Greece declared two “marine parks” in the Aegean and Ionian Seas. According to maps published by the Greek Prime Minister’s Office, the planned marine parks extend across a vast area from the south of the Peloponnese Peninsula to the island of Lefkada in the Ionian Sea and from the island of Milos to the island of Koç Baba in the southern Aegean Sea. This area exceeds by 25% the marine park plans first announced by Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis at the ninth “Our Oceans Conference” held in Athens in April of last year and comprises a region of 27,500 square kilometers.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Türkiye responded immediately and harshly to this decision, describing it as a new initiative that disrupts the status quo. The Ministry also underlined that unilateral actions should be avoided in enclosed or semi-enclosed seas such as the Aegean and the Mediterranean, and explicitly declared that the announced marine parks would have no legal validity in terms of the status of islands, islets, and rocks whose sovereignty has not been transferred to Greece in the Aegean Sea.
What does Greece’s “marine park” declaration mean?
As I have tried to show in many of my previous analyses [1], Türkiye’s strengthened position in the Eastern Mediterranean has pushed Greece into a panicked and legally dubious political strategy. Despite its limited population, landmass, and military and economic power, Greece is attempting to pursue an expansionist policy in the Eastern Mediterranean by leveraging its only political asset—its islands. At this point, it is no surprise that the motto “the sea has always been Greece’s silent power,” often repeated by Greek Prime Minister Mitsotakis, has resurfaced in the context of these marine park declarations.
To summarize briefly, Greece argues that maritime jurisdiction areas should be determined according to the “median line” principle and claims that islands have their own territorial waters. In this way, Greece dreams of “seizing” approximately 104,000 square kilometers of maritime area from Türkiye by asserting that the median line should be drawn not between mainlands, but from Greek islands.
Another step in Greece’s expansionist policy is to extend its territorial waters to 12 nautical miles, invoking the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), to which Türkiye is not a party—even though Türkiye has declared this to be a casus belli (cause for war). In such a scenario, Greece’s territorial waters in the Aegean would increase from 43% to 71%, and the proportion of international waters would fall from 49% to 19.7%. [2] As a result, Türkiye’s Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) would shrink by about 80%, from 189,000 square kilometers to 41,000 square kilometers. The ultimate aim is to restrict Türkiye’s access to the high seas and render it ineffective in the region’s geopolitics.
In this context, it would not be inaccurate to evaluate Greece’s “marine park” move as an attempt to invalidate in practice the Maritime Jurisdiction Areas Memorandum signed between Türkiye and Libya in 2019 and registered by the United Nations (UN) in October 2020—despite its compliance with principles of equity and international law.
Another objective of the Marine Park decision is to provide legal status to 152 islands, islets, and rocks in the Aegean whose sovereignty remains uncertain but which have been occupied by Greece, and to establish an effective surveillance system through drones, radars, satellite imagery, and similar mechanisms to monitor Türkiye more closely.
Türkiye’s Steps
To summarize: every time Türkiye extends a hand of friendship to resolve issues with Greece, the latter sees it as an opportunity for its expansionist ambitions. The latest example of this is the decision to declare a “marine park.” This decision, taken in contradiction to the Declaration on Friendly Relations and Good Neighborliness signed with Türkiye on December 7, 2023, as well as to international law, equity, and good neighborly relations, will naturally have certain consequences.
As stated by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Türkiye, in the coming days Türkiye will announce its own marine protection projects in the Aegean, Mediterranean, Black Sea, and Sea of Marmara. In fact, on April 16, 2025, Türkiye had already announced its Marine Spatial Planning and, upon completion of the registration process, the Marine Spatial Planning Map was published and made internationally accessible.
In conclusion, as long as Greece’s delusion of possession and maximalist demands in the Eastern Mediterranean continue, political tensions in the region will not subside, and no party will benefit from this process. Confronting Türkiye, which is the region’s most significant power with its ever-growing political and military strength, would be one of the gravest strategic mistakes for Greece, which needs cooperation with Türkiye on critical issues such as irregular migration, the fight against international terrorism, secure access to energy resources, and tourism. In short, manipulating a matter directly related to sovereignty rights under the guise of “marine environment protection” will serve no other purpose than to bring about tense moments in the Aegean.
[1] Hüseyin Işıksal;
“The latest example of lack of strategic vision: Mitsotakis’ visit to South Cyprus,” Anadolu Agency Analysis, 21.07.2024;
“Can Greece correctly interpret Türkiye's vision of cooperation?” Anadolu Agency Analysis, 14.05.2024;
“Can the EU break free from the vicious cycle diplomacy of the Greek-Greek Cypriot side?” Anadolu Agency Analysis, 07.02.2024;
“Greece and the Greek Cypriot side seek concessions, not solutions.” Anadolu Agency Analysis, 22.02.2021;
“Greece must abandon its delusion of ownership in the Eastern Mediterranean.” Anadolu Agency Analysis, 19.06.2020.
[2] Hüseyin Işıksal, Türkiye-Greece Relations in the New Millennium. In: Hüseyin Işıksal and Ozan Örmeci (eds.), Turkish Foreign Policy in the New Millennium. Oxford: Peter Lang.
[Prof. Dr. Hüseyin Işıksal is the Special Advisor on International Relations and Diplomacy to the President of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus.]
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