Greek Foreign Ministry: Turkish “marine parks” are illegal

Greece has sent a clear message to Ankara that the designation of Turkish “national marine parks” in areas beyond Turkish territorial waters has no legal effect and cannot create faits accomplis, following the publication of the relevant Presidential Decrees in the Turkish Official Gazette.

Under the Presidential Decrees of 15 August, Turkiye designated two “national marine parks” in the northeastern Aegean and the Eastern Mediterranean, whose boundaries extend beyond Turkish territorial waters.

In a statement, the Greek Foreign Ministry described the establishment of the parks as unlawful insofar as they cover international waters, stressing that, under the Law of the Sea, no state has the right to unilaterally establish marine protected areas outside its national jurisdiction.

At the same time, Athens underlined that the Turkish marine parks are also unlawful insofar as they extend into the Greek continental shelf. Consequently, the Foreign Ministry stressed, the Turkish action “ produces absolutely no legal effect”, either with regard to international waters or Greek sovereign rights over the continental shelf.

Particular emphasis was placed on the fact that Turkiye’s…