Athens is following Ankara’s legislative initiative underway to enact a law to codify its claims in the Aegean Sea and the Eastern Mediterranean.
Greek officials believe the law, which is expected to be voted in early June, has the potential to lead, down the road, to renewed tension with Turkey, and, in the worst case scenario, a major crisis, although they do not prejudge that this will necessarily be the case.
The planned legislation will likely include a reiteration of the Turkish claims of “gray zones” of undetermined or disputed sovereignty in the Aegean. Turkey, which has expounded this for decades, never officially retreated from this.
During the relaxation of tensions starting in February 2023, the prevailing rhetoric was about coming to an agreement to adjudicate the issue of maritime zones at the Hague-based International Court. The current legislation appears to be a clear step backward.
A major factor in maintaining the recent detente was the existence of communication channels between Greek and Turkish officials at several levels; lately, however, even the pretty active channel maintained by the two countries’ foreign ministers, George Gerapetritis and Hakan Fidan, seems to have atrophied; as successive leaks from the Turkish government to media concerning the bill proliferated over the past couple of weeks, the two have not communicated.
