Greece has lodged a formal diplomatic protest with Turkey in Ankara over Turkish maritime planning policies and the creation of two national marine parks.
The Greek embassy in Ankara delivered the demarche to the Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs following instructions from Greek Foreign Minister Giorgos Gerapetritis. The action was taken in response to public Turkish announcements concerning Special Spatial Frameworks and Presidential Decisions issued on August 15 declaring two national marine parks.
During the delivery of the protest, the Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs handed over verbal notes repeating claims previously made in public by Ankara. Diplomatic sources in Athens described those Turkish claims as groundless.
Rejection of Turkish maritime claims
Greece categorically rejected the Turkish positions, describing them as arbitrary and devoid of any legal foundation. Diplomatic sources emphasized that the status of sovereignty in the Aegean Sea has been clearly and definitively established by international treaties.
Athens also declared the Turkish national marine parks invalid and lacking legal effect to the extent that they extend into areas outside Turkish jurisdiction and within the Greek continental shelf.
Diplomatic sources said Greece would continue to draw the attention of its European and international partners to any unilateral action that violates international law or infringes upon Greek sovereignty and sovereign rights.
Escalating diplomatic exchanges over Aegean rights
The demarche follows a series of diplomatic exchanges between the two neighboring countries. On September 2, Ankara issued a verbal note to Athens concerning the Aegean, accusing Greece of making maximalist claims and stating that Turkey would not accept accomplished facts.
In response to the Turkish stance, Greek Foreign Minister Giorgos Gerapetritis stated on September 2 that Greece would make no retreat and would not compromise on its sovereign rights.
A diplomatic demarche is a formal representation made by one government to another to express official positions or protests. Relations between Greece and Turkey have long involved disagreement over territorial waters, airspace, and continental shelf boundaries in the Aegean Sea.
International law and regional governance
Both nations maintain distinct claims regarding maritime jurisdiction in the region. The continental shelf determines exclusive rights to seabed resources under international maritime conventions.
Greece's decision to inform European Union and international partners reflects its ongoing strategy of utilizing multilateral diplomacy to address bilateral maritime disputes in the eastern Mediterranean.
The Greek foreign ministry's intervention underscores ongoing tension over environmental and spatial management initiatives launched by both Ankara and Athens in shared marine zones.
Turkish Presidential Decisions enacted on August 15 marked Ankara's latest formal administrative step in declaring national marine parks in disputed waters.
Greek diplomatic officials reiterated that Athens will maintain its stance against any unilateral initiatives that seek to alter the established sovereign framework of the Aegean Sea.
