Greece's Foreign Ministry fired back at Turkey on Sunday after Erdogan signed two presidential decrees on August 15 decl...

Greece's Foreign Ministry fired back at Turkey on Sunday after Erdogan signed two presidential decrees on August 15 declaring "national marine parks" in the northeastern Aegean and eastern Mediterranean, including waters surrounding Kastellorizo and the area between Lemnos and Samothrace. The ministry called the move unilateral and illegal, saying the parks extend well beyond Turkish territorial waters and into areas of the Greek continental shelf. Athens made clear that international law does not allow any single state to establish marine protected areas in international waters without multilateral agreement. Greece stated that Turkey's declaration "produces absolutely no legal effect," neither in international waters nor over Greek continental shelf rights. The ministry added that unilateral attempts to create faits accomplis or alter the status of Aegean maritime zones violate international law and undermine efforts for good-neighborly relations. Turkey's two decrees, signed by Erdogan on August 15, are being framed by Ankara as a response to Greece's own decision in July 2025 to establish national marine parks in the South Aegean and Ionian. The first Turkish park is positioned in waters surrounding Kastellorizo, between the Turkish coastal towns of Fethiye and Kas. The second covers waters near Rodosto and Canakkale, extending into the area between Samothrace and Lemnos. Athens noted that it has already established its own national marine parks in the Ionian and Aegean in full compliance with the Law of the Sea and strictly within Greek territorial waters. Greece said it will continue to act "with consistency and resolve" in defending its sovereign rights, the freedoms of the high seas, and the marine environment. #GreeceVsTurkey #AegeanDispute #EasternMediterranean