Turkey’s aggressive provocations continue as Ankara insists that the two marine parks it has designated in the Aegean Sea and the Eastern Mediterranean fall within areas it considers to be under its own maritime jurisdiction. On this basis, Turkey argues that the marine parks it is establishing do not violate international law — yet through this move, Ankara is effectively attempting to reinforce its positions and territorial claims in the Aegean, reviving the so-called “Blue Homeland” doctrine.
Ankara argues that measures for the protection of the marine environment can be applied in areas beyond its territorial waters, which it considers to fall under its own maritime jurisdiction. This position, however, is firmly disputed by Greece, which maintains that the specific zones extend into maritime areas where Greece asserts it holds sovereign rights.
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View HERE the presidential decree on the marine park in the area between Fethiye and Kaş
Where the two marine parks are located, according to Haber Turk
The first of the two parks is located in the maritime area of “Fethiye–Kaş,” along the Turkish coastline of southwestern Turkey. The area stretches along the coast between Fethiye, in Muğla province, and Kaş, in Antalya province, directly opposite the eastern part of the Greek island cluster of Kastellorizo. The Turkish maritime spatial planning platform itself refers to the area as the “Fethiye-Kaş Marine Protected Area,” highlighting its importance for marine ecosystems — particularly for cetaceans.
The second park is located in the Northern Aegean, in a maritime zone to the northwest of Turkey. The area sits opposite northern Greece and extends across the wider maritime region from the Gallipoli Peninsula toward the coasts of Eastern Thrace, in the direction of Tekirdağ (Rodosto) on the Sea of Marmara. In other words, this is an area situated in the northern part of the Aegean Sea, close to the entrance of the Dardanelles and along the Turkish coastline of Eastern Thrace.
“Illegal and creates no facts on the ground,” says Athens
The Greek Ministry of Foreign Affairs addressed the issue with a statement released on Sunday, stressing that the parks are illegal and create no established facts under international law.
The statement reads as follows:
“By Presidential Decrees dated August 15, published today, Sunday, in the Turkish Official Gazette, Turkey has declared two ‘national marine parks’ in the northeastern Aegean and the Eastern Mediterranean, which extend beyond Turkish territorial waters. To the extent that these parks cover international waters, their establishment is illegal, as no State has the right, under the Law of the Sea, to unilaterally establish marine protected areas in zones beyond its national jurisdiction. Furthermore, these marine parks are also illegal insofar as they extend into the Greek continental shelf. This action, therefore, produces absolutely no legal effect — neither with respect to international waters, nor with respect to our rights over the Greek continental shelf. Turkey’s unilateral establishment of ‘national’ marine parks in areas beyond its jurisdiction cannot create facts on the ground, nor can it affect in any way the rights derived from international law.
In this regard, it is recalled that Greece took the initiative of establishing National Marine Parks in the Ionian and Aegean Seas, in full compliance with the Law of the Sea and exclusively within Greek territorial waters. Actions that attempt to create established facts or to unilaterally alter the status of maritime zones in the Aegean and Eastern Mediterranean violate international law, do not contribute to a climate of good neighbourly relations, and seriously undermine efforts to maintain relations of mutual understanding between the two countries. Greece will continue to act consistently and resolutely to protect its sovereign rights, to safeguard the freedoms of the high seas as provided for under the Law of the Sea, and to protect the marine environment in accordance with international law.”
