Renewed Maritime Dispute Between Turkey and Greece Over Aegean Sea Reserves

Greece has officially announced the establishment of two new marine protected areas, one in the Ionian Sea and the other in the Aegean Sea, as part of an ambitious environmental project. Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said it would be the largest of its kind in the Mediterranean region.

Athens aims through this project to protect biodiversity, especially marine mammals, turtles, and birds, and to fulfill its international commitments by expanding protected marine areas to 30% of its territorial waters by 2030.

Fishing activities with trawl nets will be prohibited within the park boundaries, and environmental studies have been presented today to open the public consultation until September 22.

This move prompted a swift reaction from Turkey, which expressed readiness to cooperate with Athens as a coastal state in the Aegean Sea, but at the same time emphasized that these marine reserves would not have any legal implications regarding the intertwined issues between the two countries, especially those related to islands and geographical formations whose ownership has not been transferred to Greece under international agreements.

It reiterated that these positions have remained unchanged since Greece announced its intention last year, specifically on April 9, 2024.

The Turkish Foreign Ministry called for avoiding unilateral actions in enclosed or semi-enclosed seas such as the Aegean Sea, and pointed out that international maritime law urges cooperation among coastal states on such matters, including environmental issues.

It affirmed that Ankara will announce its own projects to protect the marine environment in the coming days, emphasizing the need for an approach based on honesty, fairness, and good neighborliness, in line with Athens' declaration of friendly relations issued on December 7, 2023, reflecting the positive spirit that both parties seek to maintain.

It is worth noting that the issue of establishing reserves in the Aegean Sea is not new, having previously sparked tensions between the Turkish and Greek sides, who differ on various issues related to delineating maritime boundaries and sovereignty over islands.

With Greece confirming that the park boundaries fall within its territorial waters, it appears that disputes will persist unless a comprehensive understanding is reached that satisfies both parties.