A clear message to Ankara that the declaration of Turkish “national marine parks” in areas beyond Turkish territorial waters has no legal effect and cannot create a fait accompli, the Greek Ministry of Foreign Affairs states, following the publication of the relevant Presidential Decrees in the Turkish Official Gazette.
Through the Presidential Decrees of August 15, Turkey declared two “national marine parks” in the northeastern Aegean and the eastern Mediterranean, the boundaries of which extend beyond Turkish territorial waters.
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In a statement, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs characterized the establishment of these parks as illegal to the extent that they encroach upon international waters, noting that, according to 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 emphasizes that the Turkish marine parks are illegal to the extent that they extend within the Greek continental shelf. Therefore, as the Ministry of Foreign Affairs emphasizes, Turkey’s action “has absolutely no legal effect,” neither with regard to international waters nor to Greece’s sovereign rights over the continental shelf.
Particular emphasis is placed on the point that Turkey’s unilateral establishment of “national” marine parks in areas outside its jurisdiction cannot create a fait accompli, nor can it affect rights arising from international law.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs contrasts the Turkish move with the Greek initiative to create National Marine Parks in the Ionian and Aegean Seas, noting that Greece established them in full compliance with the Law of the Sea and exclusively within Greek territorial waters.
At the same time, Athens warns that actions seeking to create a fait accompli or unilaterally influence the status of maritime zones in the Aegean and the Eastern Mediterranean violate international law and strainstrain Greek-Turkish relations.
As the Ministry of Foreign Affairs notes, such moves “do not contribute to fostering a climate of good neighborliness and seriously undermine efforts to maintain relations of mutual understanding between the two countries.”
In conclusion, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs states that Greece will continue to act “consistently and resolutely” to protect its sovereign rights, safeguarding the freedoms of the high seas, as provided for by the Law of the Sea, as well as protecting the marine environment in accordance with international law.
Source: APE-MPE
