Newsletters
Greek Foreign Minister George Gerapetritis said Greece plans to extend its territorial waters further, including potentially in the Aegean Sea, despite Türkiye's long-standing declaration that such a move would constitute a cause for war.
"Today, our sovereignty in the Aegean Sea extends to six nautical miles. As there was an agreement with Egypt, and as there was an agreement with Italy, there will also be a further extension of the territorial waters," Gerapetritis said in parliament on Friday.
He did not specify which maritime areas could be extended.
In 1995, the Turkish parliament unanimously adopted a declaration known as the "casus belli decision," stating that "if Greece decides to extend its territorial waters in the Aegean beyond 6 nautical miles in a way that would disrupt the balance established by Lausanne," this would be considered a casus belli, or a cause for war.
The declaration stated that "all powers, including those deemed necessary from a military standpoint, are granted to the government."
Greece has already extended its territorial waters in the Ionian Sea to 12 nautical miles from six, following agreements with Italy, and has signed a maritime delimitation deal with Egypt in the eastern Mediterranean.
But it has avoided similar moves in the Aegean, where Ankara objected sharply.
In July, Greece unveiled the boundaries of two planned marine parks in the Ionian and Aegean seas.
The Aegean park, covering 9,500 square kilometers, would initially expand around the southern Cyclades islands, further south of Türkiye, according to maps submitted by Athens.
The announcement drew objections from Ankara.
"Besides the marine spatial planning, we also have the marine parks that secure our sovereignty and neutralize any claim to sovereignty zones. This is the first phase, and more will follow. We have Marine Park 1; more will follow, and 2 will come, don't worry. And the extension of territorial waters will also come," Gerapetritis said.
Gerapetritis claimed that Greece "would not discuss" sovereignty issues with Türkiye.
"We will never discuss the sovereignty issues of the country. They are non-negotiable. I commit before parliament—absolutely no concession regarding our international relations. We are not just equals. We are in a position of real power," he added.
Greece says the only issue it is prepared to discuss with Türkiye is the demarcation of their maritime zones, including the continental shelf and exclusive economic zone.
"We don't discuss sovereignty. However, sovereign rights are a subject of discussion. Today, however, we are not discussing maritime zones and the continental shelf. Today, the conditions for this discussion do not exist, because we insist that there is only one issue on the table—the delimitation of EEZ and continental shelf—while Türkiye puts other issues on the table," he said.
1 min read
Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan confirmed on Dec. 15 that a meeting between President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis is expected in Ankara in mid-February.
"Yes, it is possible. We are working on it," Fidan said when asked about the meeting.
Set as preferred source
1 min read
