Turkey is planning to cancel the creation of the Marine Parks or impose the co-management of joint environmental programs in the areas of the Greek territory in the Aegean Sea as Sabah reveals today that Turkey is preparing the demarcation of its own Marine Parks in the Aegean Sea.
Such a development will obviously affect the climate at a time when the Greek-Turkish rapprochement is continuing normally and after the Mitsotakis-Erdoğan meeting in Ankara it seems to have gained new momentum.
The Turkish newspaper close to Erdogan’s government, citing Turkish officials, speaks of an “eye for an eye” move in the Greek initiative for the establishment of Marine Parks in the Ionian and Aegean Seas.
The Turkish leadership and Erdogan himself have warned that they will not accept any fait accompli, while the Turkish Foreign Ministry had in a statement referred to fait accompli on islands of undefined sovereignty or whose sovereignty has not been attributed to Greece by international treaties, thus reiterating the theory of “grey zones”. The Turkish Ministry of Defence had even mentioned taking action to protect Turkey’s rights in the “Blue Homeland”.
Sabah quoted a Turkish official as saying that the Turkish Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure would draw a map of the Turkish marine parks in the area.
The Greek marine parks which the government and the Prime Minister himself have categorically stated that they will proceed as planned provide for the surveillance of cetaceans and birds with drones, satellites and AI systems after their demarcation, while human presence will be restricted and of course any construction on the islands and islets will be prohibited.
Athens has categorically stated that there is no question of discussing the exercise of the country’s sovereign rights on its territory. In the areas to be covered by the Aegean Marine Park there are more than 15 islets and islets which Turkey arbitrarily and in violation of international treaties describes as ‘grey zones’.
A Turkish diplomatic source quoted by Sabah states that “Ankara was not informed in advance about the issue nor has it received any kind of consultation or offer of cooperation. The move is considered a fait accompli.”
According to the newspaper, which has close ties to the Erdogan government, “the establishment of marine parks in such a disputed area will aggravate the situation if a formula for cooperation is not found.
Greece’s unilateral move without consulting Turkey translates into a conversion into a territory , through the demarcation and regulation of the use of resources within this geographically defined area.”
The publication presents the only solution as cooperation between the two countries on a sensitive environmental issue, citing the 1996 Malaysian-Philippine cross-border cooperation on the protection of the turtle in the Sulu Sea.
Turkey, apparently threatening and blackmailing with ultimatums even in areas west of the Dodecanese, wants either to cancel the Greek plan or to ensure that there will be co-management of this environmental programme, which concerns areas of Greek sovereignty which Turkey disputes.It is clear that there can be no cooperation of this kind as the Turkish side understands it, as long as Greek sovereign rights and Greek sovereignty are disputed.
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