Turkey warned Greece on Tuesday against exploiting environmental issues for political purposes after Athens announced plans to launch two new marine parks in the Aegean and Ionian Seas, according to Turkish media.
The Turkish Foreign Ministry issued a statement in response to “the Greek Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ announcement 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.”
The statement read that Ankara advised Athens not to discuss outstanding issues between the two countries concerning the Aegean Sea, including “the status of some islands, islets and rocks whose sovereignty has not been ceded to Greece by international treaties, within the framework of its own agenda.”
Turkey also called on third parties, including the European Union, “not to become a tool for Greece’s politically motivated attempts regarding environmental programmes.”
The Foreign Ministry emphasised that international maritime law encouraged “co-operation, including on environmental issues, between coastal states in closed or semi-enclosed seas,” expressing readiness to co-operate with Greece in the Aegean Sea. However, Turkey also warned that it would not “accept any fait accomplish 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.
