Turkey declared two new "National Marine Parks" in the Aegean today through presidential decrees published in the offici...

Turkey declared two new "National Marine Parks" in the Aegean today through presidential decrees published in the official government gazette, and Turkish state-aligned media made no attempt to hide the political motive behind the move. Daily Sabah stated outright that the decision "reaffirms Turkey's maritime rights in the Aegean," framing it as a direct counter to Greece's own marine park announcements. The first zone covers the southeastern Aegean between Fethiye in Mugla province and Kas in Antalya. The second sits in the northern Aegean near the coasts of Tekirdag and the Dardanelles strait, two areas where Turkey has long pressed competing jurisdictional claims against Greece. Ankara's real target appears to be Greece's existing and planned marine parks. Turkey had already objected loudly when Athens announced two protected zones in the Ionian Sea and southern Cyclades, accusing Greece of using environmental policy to alter the status quo in the Aegean. Now Turkey is firing back with the same tool. Daily Sabah also called out Athens' plans for protected areas near the Dodecanese, referring to the islands by their Turkish name "On Iki Ada," a signal of Ankara's continued refusal to treat Greek sovereignty over those islands as settled. A new Greek national marine park in the southern Aegean is expected to be finalized by October, and Turkey appears to be racing to establish its own legal footprint before that happens. The move fits squarely into Turkey's "Blue Homeland" doctrine, which asserts Turkish maritime claims across the Aegean, Eastern Mediterranean, Black Sea, and Sea of Marmara. The Turkish government is also preparing a formal Blue Homeland bill set to be submitted to parliament when the new legislative session opens in October, which would give all these claims a dedicated legal framework for the first time. #Greece #Turkey #Aegean