Turkey has declared two new "national marine parks" by presidential decree signed by Recep Tayyip Erdogan, with both zon...

Turkey has declared two new "national marine parks" by presidential decree signed by Recep Tayyip Erdogan, with both zones positioned directly around Greek territory in the Aegean. The first park covers the sea area between Fethiye and Kas along the Turkish coast, surrounding the waters off Kastellorizo. The second spans the maritime zone near Tekirdağ and Çanakkale, extending into the area between Samothrace and Lemnos. Ankara is presenting the move as a direct response to Greece's decision to declare its own marine parks in the South Aegean and Ionian Sea in July 2025. The timing is no coincidence. Turkish media have been running heavy coverage of Greek military activity in the region, including repeated references to the island of Ro. Both decrees now stand as formal Turkish claims over sea zones that Greece considers part of its sovereign maritime sphere. The areas around Kastellorizo and Lemnos are among the most contested in the Aegean, where overlapping Greek and Turkish claims have fueled friction for decades. The move comes as Aegean tensions remain elevated, with Ankara using environmental legislation as a tool to assert maritime positioning against Greek territory. Greece has not yet issued an official response to the two decrees. #Greece #Turkey #Aegean