The latest Turkish provocation against Athens emerged on Thursday with news reports citing a letter sent to the United Nations by Ankara attempting to defend its revisionist “Blue Homeland” doctrine and assigning blame on Greece, Cyprus and Egypt over attempts, as it claims, by the latter to violate its sovereign rights and maritime zones.
The official letter by Ankara points to alleged violations against its unilaterally declared Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) in the eastern Mediterranean, one of the more prominent exercises in “Turkography” since 2019.
It’s also noteworthy that the letter, dated Feb. 16, 2026, came just five days after the Mitsotakis–Erdogan meeting in Ankara.
Greek diplomatic sources late Thursday evening stated that the letter from Turkey’s permanent mission to the United Nations is a continuation of relevant diplomatic notes submitted by Greece, Cyprus and Egypt and is considered as more-or-less expected.
The Greek side fully rejects the contents of the letter and, as the sources stressed, an appropriate response will be given.
The same sources point out that the letter reiterates the well-known but arbitrary interpretations of international law that official Ankara often attempts to “slip” into the discussion, particularly on questions of the UN Convention of the Law of the Sea. Through these unilateral interpretations, Ankara challenges Greece’s lawful rights and continues disregard the legal status of the Republic of Cyprus, a UN and EU member-state.
According to the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), in the delimitation of a continental shelf and EEZ between states with adjacent or opposite coasts, islands are entitled to full maritime zones, just like mainland territories. The Greek side stresses that this principle constitutes a fundamental rule of international law.
The same sources conclude that Turkey must comply with the requirements of international law for the benefit of good neighborly relations, stability, and cooperation in the wider region.
A map showing the Turkey-Libya delimitation of EEZ zones in the eastern Mediterranean, which Greece, the EU and regional countries consider as illegal and baseless.