Athens has linked its response to Turkey’s declaration of unlawful marine parks with a reference to Greece’s right to extend its territorial waters to 12 nautical miles, a point included in a diplomatic demarche delivered to the Turkish Foreign Ministry.
The note states “in a formal and explicit manner” that Greece’s right to extend the territorial sea of its islands to 12 nautical miles, as provided by the Law of the Sea, remains unaffected. Beyond sending a message to Ankara, Athens aims to place its arguments on record in case Greek-Turkish disputes are ever brought before the International Court of Justice.
Greek officials are preparing for three potential flashpoints in coming weeks: the publication of presidential decrees implementing maritime spatial planning; a possible Turkish “Blue Homeland” bill that could seek restrictions on activities beyond Turkish territorial waters; and the restart of the Greece-Cyprus electricity interconnection project.
Athens is also examining four possible escalation scenarios.
These include a repeat of research activity similar to the 2020 episode involving the vessel Oruc Reis, the use of Turkish fishing fleets inside areas claimed by Greece, renewed overflights using unmanned aerial vehicles, and tensions linked to future deliveries of Israeli systems associated with the Achilles’ Shield.
