Greece files diplomatic protest to Turkey over Aegean marine parks and spatial planning

Formal protest delivered in Ankara

On 3 September 2026, the Greek Embassy in Ankara submitted a formal diplomatic protest démarche to the Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs following direct instructions from the Greek Minister of Foreign Affairs. The démarche addressed two separate actions taken by Turkish authorities regarding maritime space in the Aegean Sea. Specifically, Athens objected to public declarations made by Turkish officials regarding Special Spatial Planning Frameworks as well as Presidential Decisions enacted on 15 August 2026. Through those decrees, the Turkish presidency officially designated two national marine parks across surrounding waters. Greek diplomatic sources characterized the Turkish claims underlying these administrative steps as arbitrary, unsubstantiated, and entirely devoid of any legal basis under international law.

Reciprocal exchange of verbal notes

During the diplomatic meeting held to deliver the Greek protest, officials from the Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs presented their own verbal notes in response. According to Greek diplomatic sources, the Turkish notes did not introduce new legal arguments, but instead repeated positions and assertions that Ankara had already stated in prior public announcements. The exchange confirmed the ongoing disagreement between Athens and Ankara over maritime spatial planning frameworks and regulatory authority in the region. Greek officials maintained that Turkey's reliance on repeated public claims fails to establish legal validity for unilateral maritime planning measures.

Legal disputes over sovereignty and continental shelf

The primary legal objection raised by Greece concerns the geographic extent of the Turkish marine parks and their overlap with Greek maritime jurisdictions. Greek diplomatic officials stated that Turkey's declaration of national marine parks is null, void, and devoid of legal effect to the extent that the zones reach outside Turkish jurisdiction and extend into areas of the Greek continental shelf. Athens affirmed that sovereignty across the Aegean Sea remains firmly anchored in established international treaties.

The sovereignty status in the Aegean has been clearly and definitively established by the relevant international treaty texts.

Greek diplomats stressed that international legal agreements define regional borders conclusively, preventing either state from asserting unilateral administrative authority or spatial planning control over the continental shelf of the other.

Notification of European and international partners

In addition to the bilateral diplomatic démarche lodged in Ankara, the Greek government outlined broader diplomatic actions regarding the maritime dispute. Greek diplomatic sources stated that Athens will continuously inform European Union institutions and international partners about every unilateral Turkish measure. Greece argues that such unilateral actions violate international law while directly infringing upon Greek sovereignty and sovereign rights. Greek diplomats confirmed that the country will present these developments in relevant international forums, maintaining that environmental zoning in maritime regions cannot be applied unilaterally to areas falling under another state's continental shelf.