The limited boundaries in the Greek-Turkish rapprochement process, with the different interpretation of the Athens Declaration by Turkey, were highlighted in yesterday’s announcement by the Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which reintroduces the issue of “grey zones” following Greece’s announcement of the declaration of two marine parks in the Ionian and Aegean Seas.

Turkey arbitrarily interprets the Athens Declaration and the commitment it contains to avoid “provocative actions” as a commitment to refrain from exercising sovereign rights and jurisdiction.

Minister of Environment, Theodoros Skilakakis, in a joint presentation with the Ministers of Foreign Affairs and Agriculture, George Gerapetritis and Lefteris Avgenakis, for the international conference organized by our country, “Our Ocean Conference,” stated that within the framework of the Conference, a large marine park in the Ionian Sea and another marine park in the Aegean Sea will be announced, which will extend from the marine area of Milos to that of Nisyros, including uninhabited islets and rocky islets, as well as their marine areas. The aim is to create a “sanctuary” for seabirds and large marine mammals.

Regarding the two new marine parks, he mentioned that the boundaries will be determined after a special scientific study by the end of 2024. “It will not be done on political terms but the study will be scientifically supported, which will also specify the permitted uses. We will also utilize a state-of-the-art monitoring system with drones, radar, and real-time monitoring vessels,” emphasized the Minister of Environment.

Turkey’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs announcement

Despite Mr. Skilakakis’s emphasis that there will be no political criteria for delineating the Aegean Marine Park, Turkey rushed to react, issuing an announcement shortly after midnight yesterday in a quite unprecedented manner.

In its announcement, Turkey essentially reintroduces the theory of “grey zones,” referring to “geographical formations with undetermined sovereignty” and “islands, islets, rocks whose sovereignty has not been ceded to Greece by international treaties,” and with a threatening tone declares that it will not accept fait accompli.

It also accuses our country of using environmental issues to promote its “agenda on Aegean issues” and warns the EU “not to become a tool for Greece’s efforts with political motives regarding environmental programs.”

The Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs even hypocritically declares itself ready to cooperate with Greece on “environmental issues as provided by maritime law for closed or semi-closed seas,” essentially requesting joint exercise of jurisdiction in areas either under Greek sovereignty or within Greek jurisdiction.

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It is evident from the latest development that the Erdogan government, after the shock of the elections, has no intention of letting any foreign policy issue become a tool in the hands of the opposition, especially the CHP. The CHP, the party that emerged first in the Municipal Elections and to which the mayors of Constantinople and Ankara belong, is the one that systematically accuses Erdogan in recent years of “abandoning the Aegean islands to Greece.” In fact, in the previous days, the party’s vice president and responsible for foreign policy on the issue of Greece’s surveys that are going to be conducted for the study of seismic faults in the Aegean, accused Athens that it wants to conduct surveys for hydrocarbons, thus trying to bring news tensions and blackmail a reaction from Erdogan.

The reaction of the Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, however, reveals the very sensitive and vulnerable points of the Athens Declaration (as it had been pointed out from the very beginning) as Turkey believes that in order to maintain the status quo in the Aegean, Greece should refrain from exercising sovereign rights and international responsibilities, thus leading to a peculiar “Finlandization” of the Aegean.