Turkey announced plans on Saturday to establish marine protected areas in the Aegean, Black Sea and Eastern Mediterranean, escalating tensions with neighbouring Greece, which recently declared two national marine parks in disputed waters.
The move, first reported by Greek media outlets, follows Ankara’s sharp criticism of Greece’s July 21 decision to establish marine parks in the Ionian and southern Aegean seas. In a diplomatic note, Turkey’s Foreign Ministry described Athens’ initiative as a “unilateral action” in semi-enclosed seas that, it said, require mutual agreement under international law.
The Turkish plans, published by the Ankara University National Center for the Sea and Maritime Law (DEHUKAM), appear to overlap with waters claimed by Greece under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), which Ankara has not signed.
“Any initiative regarding closed or semi-enclosed seas such as the Aegean and Eastern Mediterranean must be conducted on the basis of agreement between the relevant coastal states,” Turkey’s Foreign Ministry said, warning that Greece’s action “has no legal effect” on ongoing sovereignty disputes.
Ankara also stated it remains open to environmental cooperation with Greece under the terms of the Athens Declaration, signed in December 2023, but said solutions must be “based on international law and principles of good neighbourliness.”
Greece Responds: ‘Legally Baseless’
Athens dismissed Turkey’s objections, saying its marine parks are based solely on environmental and scientific criteria and lie entirely within areas under Greek sovereignty.
“The legal status of the Aegean has been defined by international treaties and is not open to challenge,” Greece’s Foreign Ministry said in a statement. “The exercise of rights stemming from national sovereignty is not subject to negotiation.”
Greek government sources cited by SKAI TV and Ta Nea called Turkey’s marine park initiative “provocative and legally groundless,” warning it marked a new attempt to assert control over maritime zones Greece considers its own.
Maps released by DEHUKAM show Turkish marine parks extending beyond Ankara’s territorial waters, including in areas near the Greek islands of Samothrace, Lemnos, and Kastellorizo. In the Eastern Mediterranean, one proposed park surrounds the Greek island of Kastellorizo without recognising its entitlement to an Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), starting just northeast of Rhodes and stretching towards Antalya.
“The declaration of marine parks in undefined regions outside Turkish territorial waters constitutes an unacceptable and illegal action,” the Greek Foreign Ministry said. “It demonstrates a total disregard for international maritime law.”
Disputed Interpretations of Maritime Law
At the heart of the dispute is a long-running disagreement over how maritime boundaries should be drawn. Greece, a signatory to UNCLOS, argues that islands generate full maritime zones, including territorial waters, continental shelves and EEZs. Turkey, which has not ratified the treaty, disputes this interpretation and argues that some Greek islands – particularly those close to the Turkish mainland – should not have full maritime entitlements.
Analysts say the latest moves underscore the fragile state of Greco-Turkish relations, which remain strained despite recent efforts to improve bilateral ties.