Greece to populate uninhabited islands to deter future Turkish claims

In a year that saw the Turkish President challenge the notion of Greek sovereignty over certain islands as well as the veracity of the Lausanne Treaty, a report has emerged that Greece’s government is looking at ways to populate previously uninhabited islands.

According to media reports, the Greek government is examining the possibility of creating incentives and conditions in order to make dozens of Greek islets inhabitable, in an effort to avert future Turkish territorial claims.

The strategy was revealed in a document sent to parliament by Alternate Shipping and Island Policy Minister Nektarios Santorinios and involves 28 Greek islets in the Aegean Sea, many of which already have beacons and military outposts.

Plans also include the creation of marine reserves, underwater archaeology parks and small-scale infrastructure projects with the aim to foster the conditions that would allow economic growth and attract inhabitants to the islands.

Santorinios was already in talks with authorities from the interior and defence ministries and that funding would ideally be drawn from the EU’s Interreg program.

Turkey has repeatedly questioned Greece’s sovereignty over a number of uninhabited islets and rock formations in the eastern Aegean for more than 40 years and ‘testing’ the country’s tolerance with continuous Turkish fighter jet violations of Greek airspace.