Greece protests after Turkey declares two "national marine parks" by presidential decrees
Athens calls Ankara's declarations outside Turkish waters, warns they cannot change legal rights in disputed maritime zones.
Turkey issued presidential decrees on 15 August declaring two areas in the northeast Aegean Sea and the eastern Mediterranean as "national marine parks," a move that Athens has denounced as outside Turkish territorial waters and "unilateral and unlawful."
The two zones designated by Ankara are geographically separate: one lies between the Greek islands of Lemnos and Samothrace, and the other stretches across the eastern Mediterranean from an area northeast of Rhodes toward the Gulf of Antalya. Greek officials say the Turkish map also highlights Kastellorizo, an island at the centre of long-running maritime disputes.
Greek reaction and legal objections
The Greek Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the Turkish declarations cannot create legal effects for Greece nor establish new rights in the contested maritime areas. Athens described the proclamations as an "unacceptable unilateral step that does not affect Greece's sovereign rights" and accused Ankara of disregarding international maritime law, warning that such actions risk undermining bilateral relations.
In its statement the ministry added: "Greece remains committed to protecting its sovereign rights, as well as the marine environment."
Greek authorities also argued that the Turkish map reflects Ankara's long-standing position that the presence of Greek islands should have limited influence on maritime zones beyond their territorial waters. The inclusion of Kastellorizo has particular significance because of the island's central role in disputes over delimitation in the eastern Mediterranean.
Turkish officials have framed their step as a response to Athens' own maritime spatial planning and the creation of marine parks in Greek waters. Observers note the move is consistent with Turkey's wider "Blue Homeland" concept, which informs Ankara's strategic approach to the Aegean and the eastern Mediterranean. Greek sources furthermore accused Turkey of issuing "open threats with war" amid the tensions.
Photo: EPA-EFE/ORESTIS PANAGIOTOU
