Greece has strongly denounced Turkey’s recent declaration of new marine parks in the Aegean and Eastern Mediterranean, calling it an “unacceptable, unilateral and illegal action” that carries no legal weight over Greek sovereign rights.
The move follows Turkey’s submission of a revised Maritime Spatial Planning map to UNESCO, aligning with its controversial “Blue Homeland” doctrine and appearing to counter Greece’s creation of the Southeast Cyclades Marine Park.
The Turkish proposal outlines marine parks in two key areas: between Lemnos and Samothraki in the Northern Aegean, and around Kastellorizo extending toward Rhodes.
Ανακοίνωση Υπουργείου Εξωτερικών σχετικά με την ανακοίνωση Θαλάσσιων Προστατευόμενων Περιοχών από την πλευρά της Τουρκίαςhttps://t.co/F5xAyZh4mS pic.twitter.com/nxHD567puU
— Υπουργείο Εξωτερικών (@GreeceMFA) August 2, 2025
The Greek Ministry of Foreign Affairs rejected the announcement outright, stating that the parks are located in undelimited maritime zones and violate international maritime law.
“This is an unacceptable, unilateral and illegal action that produces no legal effect with regard to Greece’s sovereign rights,” the ministry said, adding that such acts undermine good neighbourly relations and disregard the law of the sea.
Analysts point out that Turkey’s map excludes standard maritime boundaries around Kastellorizo and surrounding Greek islands, attempting to downplay their influence in maritime delimitation, an approach consistent with Ankara’s past tactics and the 2019 Turkey-Libya maritime deal.
Greek authorities remain firm in defending national rights and maritime sustainability, warning that Turkey’s actions represent legal overreach and an effort to establish facts on the ground in disputed waters.
