On the other hand, we would like to remind that international maritime law encourages cooperation, including on environmental issues, between coastal states in closed or semi-enclosed seas, and in this context, Türkiye is always ready to cooperate with Greece in the Aegean Sea.
It is known that Greece has long been trying to benefit from almost every platform within the context of oustanding Aegean issues. Despite the recent positive climate in our relations, it appears that Greece is exploiting environmental issues yet again.
We would like to take this occasion to point out that we will not accept the fait accomplis that Greece may create on geographical features whose status is disputed.
In this respect, we reiterate that the Marine Parks in question will not have any legal consequences in the context of the issues between the two countries in the Aegean Sea.
We would also like to advise third parties, including the EU, not to become a tool for Greece’s politically motivated attempts regarding environmental programs.
We recommend Greece not to involve the outstanding Aegean issues, and the issues regarding the status of some islands, islets and rocks whose sovereignty has not been ceded to Greece by the international treaties, within the frame of its own agenda.
In its statement today, the Greek Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced that Greece will declare two new Marine Parks, one in the Aegean Sea and the other in the Ionian Sea, during the “Our Ocean Conference” to be held in Athens on 16-17 April 2024.
