New tension in the Aegean: Athens makes energy move against Turkey's marine national parks

The tension between Turkey and Greece, which has been ongoing for some time over military deployment and armament in the Aegean Sea, has risen once again with spatial declarations in the fields of environment and energy. Following Ankara's declaration of two marine national parks in the Aegean, Athens has put its special spatial framework for renewable energy investments into effect.

With a Presidential decree published in the Official Gazette in Turkey on August 16, the North Aegean Marine National Park and the Fethiye-Kaş Marine National Park were declared. According to the decree, an area of approximately 1,740 square kilometers off the coasts of Çanakkale and Gökçeada in the North Aegean, and an area of approximately 21,700 square kilometers in the southern line where the Aegean meets the Mediterranean, were included in the regulation.

Ankara's move is considered a response to Greece's declaration of marine parks in the Aegean and Ionian Seas in 2025. Turkey expresses the view that Athens is trying to gain strategic advantages in the Aegean through environmental or civil-purpose regulations.

REACTION FROM ATHENS, EMPHASIS ON LEGAL CONSEQUENCES FROM ANKARA

The Greek Ministry of Foreign Affairs argued that the areas declared by Turkey violate international territorial waters and the Greek continental shelf. Athens also claimed that this step has no legal basis. Reports in the Greek press also suggested that the government could bring the issue to the European Union agenda.

The Special Spatial Framework for Renewable Energy Sources announced by Greece on August 19 became the second topic of the debate. The plan includes a map and a set of regulations determining in which regions and with what limitations clean energy projects such as wind, solar, energy storage, and geothermal can be implemented until 2050.

Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Öncü Keçeli stated that this initiative by Greece would not have any legal consequences for Turkey. Keçeli said, "As with Greece's other similar initiatives, this will not have any legal consequences for our country in the context of the interconnected Aegean issues between the two countries, including geographical formations whose sovereignty has not been transferred to Greece by international treaties."

Keçeli also emphasized that unilateral actions should be avoided in closed or semi-closed seas such as the Aegean and the Mediterranean, expressing that Turkey is ready for cooperation with Greece. Sources from the Ministry of National Defense similarly reported that the regulation would not affect Turkey's stance.

The emphasis on "geographical formations whose sovereignty has not been transferred to Greece by international treaties" in Ankara's statements has brought the long-standing sovereignty and maritime jurisdiction disputes in the Aegean back to the agenda. While Turkey considers this topic among the "gray zones" that should be addressed within the scope of a comprehensive solution, Greece argues that no such problem exists.

During this period of rising tension, discussions are also continuing in Ankara regarding the Maritime Jurisdiction Areas Law, known in the public as the "Blue Homeland Law." While it is stated that the legislative work could come to the agenda of the Grand National Assembly of Turkey (TBMM) in the new legislative term, Greece expresses concern that this regulation could affect its own sovereign areas.

The two countries were on the brink of a hot conflict in 1996 due to the Kardak islets. Although the latest developments do not constitute a direct military crisis, they show that environmental, energy, and sovereignty issues in the Aegean are creating a new area of diplomatic tension in an interconnected manner.