Greece Condemns Turkish Marine Parks Statement in East Med

Greece has issued a firm statement condemning Turkey’s recent declaration of two marine parks in the Aegean and Eastern Mediterranean, describing the move as “unacceptable, unilateral, and illegal.”

In a statement released by the Greek Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Athens criticized Ankara’s announcement of marine protected areas in “non-delimited zones beyond Turkish territorial waters,” arguing that such actions undermine international law and Greece’s sovereign rights.

“These so-called marine parks, declared in areas not defined by international agreements and outside Turkey’s territorial waters, have no legal effect and constitute a flagrant violation of international maritime law,” the ministry said.

The announcement comes in the wake of Greece’s own initiative to establish national marine parks in the Ionian and Aegean Seas, strictly within areas of Greek sovereignty.

The Greek Foreign Ministry warned that “empty, reflexive moves threaten the fragile fabric of good neighborly relations” and reaffirmed its commitment to defending national rights and marine sustainability.

Earlier, Turkey’s Center for Maritime Law (DEHUKAM) announced the establishment of two marine parks—one in waters west of Imbros and Tenedos, located between the Greek islands of Samothrace and Lemnos, and another stretching northeast of Rhodes to the open sea off the Gulf of Antalya. The second zone effectively encircles the island of Kastellorizo.

The move has raised tensions in the region, with Athens viewing it as a challenge to its maritime jurisdiction and a provocation amid ongoing efforts to improve bilateral ties.

Source: Tovima.com