[InTime News]
Greece on Saturday denounced Turkey’s decision to designate marine parks in the Aegean and Eastern Mediterranean, calling it an “unacceptable, unilateral and illegal” move that violates international law.
The announcement by Turkey earlier in the day, outlining the creation of marine parks in areas beyond its territorial waters and in non-demarcated regions, “has no legal effect on Greece’s sovereign rights,” the Greek Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
“The declaration demonstrates a complete disregard for the international law of the sea,” the ministry added, warning that such “reflexive and meaningless actions put good neighbourly relations at risk.”
Maps published by the Ankara University National Center for the Sea and Maritime Law (DEHUKAM) show the Turkish marine park in the Aegean extending beyond the country’s territorial waters, west of the islands of Imbros (Gökçeada) and Tenedos (Bozcaada), in the area between Samothrace and Lemnos.
In the Eastern Mediterranean, the proposed park does not take into account the presence of Kastellorizo, beginning northeast of Rhodes and stretching to waters off the Gulf of Antalya.
Greece unveiled its own marine parks in the Aegean and Ionian Seas last month.