Greek-Turkish tensions rise over Aegean marine parks
Greece and Türkiye have traded fresh warnings over maritime jurisdiction in the Aegean Sea, reviving tensions between the NATO allies as Athens prepares to raise the issue with European Union foreign ministers.
Greek Foreign Minister George Gerapetritis is expected to address Türkiye’s recent declaration of marine parks at an informal meeting of EU foreign ministers on Sept. 2, Greek media reported. Athens has previously argued that the Turkish measures violate international law and has delivered a diplomatic note to Ankara.
Türkiye rejects Greek claims
Türkiye published two presidential decrees in its Official Gazette on Aug. 16 designating marine park areas in the Aegean.
One covers waters between Fethiye in Muğla province and Kaş in Antalya province, while the other covers an area of the North Aegean near the coasts of Tekirdağ and Çanakkale.
Ankara says the measures are intended to protect marine biodiversity. Greek officials and media have questioned the implications of the designations because the two countries have competing positions over maritime boundaries and sovereignty in the Aegean.
Türkiye has also rejected Greece’s recently announced spatial planning framework covering parts of the Aegean.
Turkish Foreign Ministry spokesperson Öncü Keçeli said on Friday that Greece’s Special Spatial Framework for Industry and Supply Chains would have no legal consequences for Türkiye in the countries’ interconnected Aegean disputes.
He said the framework could not affect areas whose sovereignty, in Türkiye’s view, was not transferred to Greece through international treaties.
Keçeli called on Athens to follow the principles of the Athens Declaration on Friendly Relations and Good-Neighborliness, signed by the two countries in December 2023, and said Türkiye remained ready to cooperate with Greece as a coastal state of the Aegean.
Marine parks become new dispute
The latest dispute follows Greece’s creation last year of two marine parks, one in the Ionian Sea and another around the southern Cyclades.
Türkiye objected at the time, saying the measures were political and could alter the status quo in the disputed Aegean rather than simply protect marine ecosystems.
Greece is also considering another marine park in the southern Aegean, with the relevant decree expected to be finalized in October, according to Greek media.
Greek reports have also raised the possibility of additional marine parks near the Dodecanese islands, which Türkiye refers to as the Twelve Islands.
Maritime disputes persist
Athens and Ankara have sought to improve relations since signing the 2023 declaration, but maritime jurisdiction remains one of their most difficult disputes.
The countries came close to military conflict in the 1990s over competing claims in the Aegean and continue to disagree over maritime boundaries, airspace and the status of certain islands and formations.
Türkiye has increasingly emphasized its maritime capabilities and the Blue Homeland doctrine, which defines a broad view of the country’s maritime interests. Ankara is also preparing legislation intended to establish a legal framework for its maritime jurisdiction in the Black Sea, Aegean, Mediterranean and Marmara seas.
The proposed Blue Homeland law is expected to be considered by parliament after the next legislative session begins in October.
Greece, meanwhile, has strengthened its military capabilities through cooperation with foreign partners.
Both sides have continued diplomatic contacts despite their differences, but the latest dispute over marine parks and spatial planning has highlighted the difficulty of resolving competing maritime claims in the Aegean.
For now, Ankara says environmental cooperation is possible, but insists that marine planning cannot affect what it considers its sovereign maritime rights.
Source:DailySabah
