Turkey Issues Two NAVTEX Notices in the Aegean Ahead of Mitsotakis-Erdogan Meeting

Turkey issued two separate NAVTEX (Navigational Telex) notices for the Aegean Sea on Friday, according to reports from Greek diplomatic sources. The timing and extended two-year validity of these notices are seen in Athens as a deliberate effort by Ankara to reassert long-standing revisionist claims in the region.

The first NAVTEX serves as a general reminder, asserting Turkey's claimed continental shelf in the Aegean Sea and stating that any exploration or research activities in the area require prior coordination with Turkish authorities.

The second notice specifically names a large number of Greek islands—including Thasos, Agios Efstratios, Psara, Samothrace, Lemnos, Lesvos, Chios, Ikaria, Samos, Astypalaia, Rhodes, Halki, Karpathos, Kasos, Tilos, Nisyros, Kalymnos, Leros, Patmos, Leipsoi, Symi, Kos, and the Kastellorizo island complex—declaring them to be under a "permanent demilitarized status."

Greek officials and analysts view the release as particularly significant because it came just before the expected scheduling of a high-level meeting between Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, anticipated sometime in the first two weeks of February.

Sources in Athens interpret the move as an attempt by Turkey to preemptively raise contentious issues ahead of the leaders' talks. Ankara justifies its position by citing its interpretation of historical agreements, including the Treaties of Lausanne and Paris, as well as the London Conference. It argues that Greek military exercises or activities in the territorial waters around these islands violate those treaties and pose risks to safe navigation.

Notably, the NAVTEX avoids directly naming Greece or its Hydrographic Service, instead referring vaguely to "certain stations" in an apparent effort to question the legitimacy of Greek-issued navigational warnings.

This development occurs amid ongoing efforts to stabilize Greek-Turkish relations, with both sides working toward a constructive dialogue during the upcoming bilateral meeting.

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