The Turkish Foreign Ministry has issued a position on Greece's decision to create marine parks in the Aegean and Ionian Seas, which was confirmed today by Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis. According to the position of the Turkish Foreign Ministry, published on its official website, due to international treaties, this decision by Greece will not have any legal weight, BTA writes.
„Last year, immediately after Greece announced this intention, on April 9, 2024, we issued a position in which we stated that the marine parks in the Aegean Sea will not have any legal weight, both because of the Aegean issue that exists between the two countries and because of the international treaties to which Greece is a party. Our position remains valid today,” the Turkish Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
The creation of marine parks in the Aegean Sea has been seen as a provocation by Greece’s neighbor and regional rival Turkey, which accuses Athens of using environmental issues to push a geopolitical agenda, the Associated Press reported. The two NATO allies have been at odds for decades over a variety of issues, including territorial claims in the Aegean Sea.
Turkey says unilateral actions in closed or semi-closed seas such as the Aegean and Mediterranean should be avoided.
“International maritime law encourages cooperation between countries that share maritime borders, including on environmental issues. In this regard, we would like to emphasize that we are always ready to cooperate with Greece, with which we share a border in the Aegean Sea,“ the Turkish Foreign Ministry said.
“On the other hand, we would like to emphasize again that attempts to exploit universal values such as environmental protection, related to the problems in the Aegean Sea and the status of certain islands, islets and rocks that have not been transferred to Greece through international treaties, will not be successful, both yesterday and today“, the position reads.
The ministry informed that in the coming days, Turkey will also announce projects to protect the environment and marine areas.
“We would like to emphasize that Turkey maintains its position that a comprehensive approach is necessary to resolve the problems in the context of the Declaration of Friendship and Good Neighborliness with Greece, which is based on international law, justice and good neighborliness“, is also evident in the text distributed by the Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs.