Greek-Turkish relations stand at a significant crossroads, according to Foreign Minister Giorgos Gerapetritis. While Greece avoids responding to reports about Turkey’s upcoming “Blue Homeland“ law, awaiting official announcements from the Turkish government, the head of Greek diplomacy acknowledged that if the neighbor proceeds with unilateral action, there will be an escalation of tension in bilateral relations.
Turkey: The “calm waters” in the Aegean and Athens’ strategy
At a critical juncture for Greek-Turkish relations, Foreign Minister Giorgos Gerapetritis described Athens’ strategy for charting the Maritime Spatial Planning and Marine Parks as a “genuinely proactive policy” aimed at avoiding inertia, which he equated with regression. He emphasized that “calm waters” in the Aegean are not an end in themselves, but a means to strengthen the country’s position. He defended maintaining open communication channels, as the government has managed to reduce tensions and prevent their transformation into crises.
The tangible results of this tactic include a dramatic reduction in national airspace violations, limiting migration flows, and boosting local economies on the islands.
Despite the improved climate, the minister clarified that sustainable peace cannot exist without resolving the single dispute that Athens recognizes: the delimitation of the continental shelf and Exclusive Economic Zone. The Greek side remains unwavering that it will not discuss any other issues, especially those touching on national sovereignty.
Andreas Papastavrou: “Ankara is testing Athens’ reactions”
Regarding the revisionist doctrine of the “Blue Homeland,” Gerapetritis characterized it as a theory without foundation in International Law, emphasizing that Greece has ready response scenarios in case of unilateral actions. Former Ambassador Andreas Papastavrou, speaking to parapolitika.gr, expressed his belief that Ankara will ultimately not proceed with the controversial law and that its only aim is to test Athens’ reactions. He bases this position on the fact that Turkey knows very well that the Law of the Sea, specifically articles 74 and 83, precisely defines the need for prior agreement for delimitation between two countries.
The high tones Turkey uses to describe its revisionist ambitions in the Aegean and Eastern Mediterranean stem, according to Papastavrou, from the decline of International Law’s strength, but also from projecting the power that our country has acquired through increased defense programs. “The presence of the frigate ‘Kimon’ in Cyprus as well as the Patriots in Karpathos and Lemnos worried Turkey,” he notes characteristically. However, according to the diplomat, Athens should remain ready, inform its partners, estimating that “if Ankara ultimately proceeds with the law for voting in the National Assembly, we will have very serious problems.”
Athens’ goal for appeal to The Hague
Meanwhile, as Foreign Minister Giorgos Gerapetritis argued on Monday, our country’s policy is framed by a broader effort to strengthen its diplomatic footprint. Through strategic alliances with the US, Israel, and Gulf countries, Greece seeks to function as a pillar of stability in a volatile region, projecting its strength not through shouts, but with substantial results. Greece’s ultimate goal remains referring the Greek-Turkish dispute over continental shelf and EEZ to The Hague, under the condition of a joint memorandum that respects International Law.
