Greece declared Marine Parks in the Aegean Sea and the Ionian Sea on 21 July 2025.

In our statement dated 9 April 2024, issued immediately after Greece announced this initiative, it was reiterated that the Marine Parks to be declared in the Aegean Sea would not have any legal consequences in the context of the interrelated Aegean issues between the two countries, including certain geographical features whose sovereignty is not ceded to Greece by international treaties. The issues underlined in the said statement remain valid today.

Unilateral actions should be avoided in closed or semi-enclosed seas such as the Aegean and the Mediterranean. International maritime law encourages cooperation, including environmental issues, between coastal states in closed or semi-enclosed seas. In this context, we reiterate that Türkiye remains ready to cooperate with Greece, as one of the two coastal states in the Aegean Sea.

On the other hand, we take this opportunity to underline that efforts to exploit universal values such as the protection of environment in the context of interrelated Aegean issues and issues related to the status of some islands, islets and rocks whose sovereignty has not been ceded to Greece by international treaties, will not have any legal consequences today, as they did not in the past.

Türkiye will announce its projects for protection of the environment in its marine areas in the coming days.

Türkiye maintains its position that a sincere and comprehensive approach should be adopted to resolve issues on the basis of international law, equity and good neighborliness within the framework of the Athens Declaration on Friendly Relations and Good Neighborliness, dated 7 December 2023, which prioritizes dialogue and cooperation and reflects the spirit that both parties want to uphold in Turkish-Greek relations.