A new episode in Greek-Turkish relations has been triggered by Ankara’s reaction to Greece’s new Special Spatial Planning Framework for Renewable Energy Sources (RES), coming just days after Turkey announced its own “maritime parks” in the Aegean and Eastern Mediterranean.

More specifically, Turkey reacted yesterday to Greece’s new RES framework, which came into force through a ministerial decision, with an official statement by Turkish Foreign Ministry spokesman Oncu Keceli.

Among other things, Keceli argued that the new Greek spatial planning framework, which also covers areas of the Aegean, “does not create any legal consequences for Turkey.”

“The Special Spatial Planning Framework for Renewable Energy Sources, announced today (August 19) by Greece to cover the Aegean Sea, as with other similar initiatives by Greece, will not produce any legal consequences for our country within the framework of the interconnected issues between the two countries in the Aegean, including geographical formations whose sovereignty has not been transferred to Greece by international treaties,” Keceli said.

Ankara also argued that unilateral actions should be avoided in enclosed or semi-enclosed seas such as the Aegean and Mediterranean. Citing international maritime law, Turkey said it encourages cooperation among coastal states.

Athens on alert

Regarding Turkey’s new delineations for its “maritime parks,” Athens sees more than simply a depiction on a map. Ankara’s move is being interpreted as a response to initiatives previously undertaken by Greece, while Athens is not dismissing the possibility that the next phase could move from maps to actual activity at sea.

For now, the Turkish decrees provide coordinates. They do not include specific terms or restrictions indicating precisely how Turkey intends to implement its announcements in practice.

That is also the main concern on the Greek side. The more difficult scenario would be for Ankara, at a later stage, to give practical substance to its delineations: deploying vessels to patrol the designated areas or reacting when surveys for the Greece-Cyprus cable resume.

This is considered the most immediate test. For the time being, the maritime parks can remain a unilateral depiction on a map. The cable, however, will require actual work at sea.

The diplomatic démarches

Meanwhile, Athens is preparing its diplomatic response. According to information, the cycle of Greek actions is expected to be completed within the next ten days, including a diplomatic démarche to Turkey and initiatives at the United Nations and the European Union.

The aim is to formally and promptly put Greece’s positions on record regarding Turkey’s delineations, without choosing to escalate the confrontation at this stage.

The irritation

Greek officials link Turkey’s move to developments of recent months. First came the Greek maritime parks and the Maritime Spatial Planning initiative. The assessment is that Ankara wanted to respond quickly by setting out its own positions in the Aegean and Eastern Mediterranean.

The broader picture, however, is more extensive. The same sources identify three developments that have particularly irritated Turkey.

The first is Greece-Israel strategic cooperation, which has acquired even greater significance because of developments in the Middle East.

The second concerns Libya and Athens’ efforts to curb Turkish influence and strengthen Greece’s position in the country.

The third—and, as the article puts it, the “big obsession”—concerns the strengthening of the islands’ defenses, particularly the presence of Patriot systems on Karpathos.

The “empty space”

Particular attention is also being paid to the geography of Turkey’s planning. Ankara chose two areas at opposite ends: the northeastern Aegean, around Lemnos and Samothrace, and the Eastern Mediterranean, toward the Kastellorizo area.

A large maritime area between them remains outside the current Turkish decrees. This is one of the points being closely monitored. The question is whether choosing the two extremities exhausts Turkey’s planning, or whether it leaves room for further moves involving additional areas where Greek island groups are located.

So far, there has been no Turkish announcement foreshadowing such a development. The fact, however, that most of the intervening area remains outside the current delineations is a factor Athens is not ignoring.

The difficult scenario

The key question is whether Turkey will attempt to give its announcements an operational dimension—for example, by sending vessels to patrol the areas it has designated as maritime parks.

Such a move would create a different situation, because Athens would no longer be dealing solely with a Turkish decree but with an actual presence on the ground. So far, however, there is no indication that this has happened.

Even the increase in Turkish violations recorded in recent days is being monitored without being assessed as particularly significant compared with previous periods of heightened tension.

The first test

More immediate is the issue of the Greece-Cyprus electricity interconnection. The entry of French company Meridiam has given the project new momentum and revived the difficult question of the maritime surveys required for it to proceed.

And that is one of the next critical points. Work on the cable requires research vessels to operate in areas where Turkey has reacted in the past. The resumption of surveys will show in practice how Ankara intends to respond.

There is also an important difference compared with the past: French participation. With Meridiam involved in the project, any potential Turkish reaction would no longer concern only Greece and Cyprus. The presence of the French company adds a new geopolitical dimension to the project.

The next moves

Finally, there is another Turkish move being closely watched: the bill concerning maritime zones. Athens’ initial assessment is that the bill will adopt a relatively restrained tone and will not contain wording that, by itself, would trigger a sudden escalation.

That remains to be seen once the text is presented. Attention will focus on whether Turkey attempts to incorporate elements of the “Blue Homeland” (Mavi Vatan) doctrine and, above all, whether it creates the groundwork for further moves.