Splitting the Baby: Turkey and Greece Stake Claims To Same Area of Aegean 

Turkey claimed half of the Aegean Sea this week, triggering accusations from neighboring Greece that it is trying to steal its territory, the latest salvo between the longtime foes, which have fought over the area for decades, Reuters reported. 

Turkey’s move comes a week after Greece announced plans to create two marine parks in waters that Turkey considers its own, Politico noted. The parks are slated for the Ionian Sea and the Southern Cyclades region of the Aegean Sea, according to Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis. 

In April, Greece submitted a belated maritime spatial plan to the European Union, citing geopolitical issues in the eastern Mediterranean as one of the reasons for the years of delay in the submission.  

Maritime spatial plans refer to the area in which activities like fishing, sea transport, tourism, aquaculture, and renewable energy projects can take place. It also provides for the creation of marine protection zones. 

This week, Turkey officially published its own map, after submitting it for approval to UNESCO’s Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission.  

In the map prepared by Ankara University, Turkey outlines its rights to the sea surrounding the mainland and how it can use those waters for economic, scientific, and military purposes. 

While the spatial plan doesn’t determine a country’s exclusive economic zone – since those are set through bilateral agreements – the Turkish map includes several of Turkey’s established territorial assertions, many of which overlap with claims made by Greece. 

Greece complained that Turkey’s map splits the Aegean Sea in half and stakes claims to the maritime zones of several Greek islands, a move it called illegal. 

Turkey said in April that the map was made with respect to the EU’s rights, obligations, and laws, and the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, or UNCLOS. 

A high-level meeting between the two countries is expected to take place in Turkey later this year.