Greece's Foreign Ministry fired back at Turkey on Saturday, rejecting Ankara's objections to a new Greek spatial plannin...

Greece's Foreign Ministry fired back at Turkey on Saturday, rejecting Ankara's objections to a new Greek spatial planning framework that covers the Aegean Sea. Athens said Turkey's claims have no legal foundation and called them "unacceptable," warning that repeating the same argument doesn't make it valid. The dispute was triggered by Greece's announcement of a Special Spatial Framework for Industry and Supply Chains, which includes the Aegean. Turkey's Foreign Ministry spokesperson Oncu Keceli responded by claiming the framework would have "no legal consequences" for Turkey regarding what he called "interconnected Aegean issues" between the two countries. Keceli went further, claiming there are "geographical formations whose sovereignty has not been transferred to Greece by international treaties," a long-standing Turkish position that Athens flatly rejects. He also called on Greece to adopt an approach consistent with the Athens Declaration on Friendly Relations and Good Neighbourliness, signed in December 2023. Greece's Foreign Ministry shut the door on any ambiguity. Athens stated that its position on Aegean sovereignty "is absolutely clear, is based on applicable international treaties, and admits of no further comment." The ministry added that no matter how many times Turkey repeats the same objection, it gains neither legal standing nor any real substance. This is not the first time Turkey has reacted this way. According to Athens, Ankara raises the same objection every time Greece announces a new spatial framework that includes the Aegean, a pattern the Greek government made a point of calling out directly in Saturday's statement. #Greece #Turkey #Aegean