Athens, Greece – In a move that has stirred national debate, the Greek government has decided to revise its plans for marine parks in the Aegean Sea, reportedly under pressure from Turkey.
The changes come ahead of a crucial meeting between Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, scheduled to take place in Ankara.
According to an exclusive report by "Ta Nea," the timeline for the official announcement of these marine parks in both the Aegean and Ionian Seas has been extended by three months, with formalization now expected in March 2025.
Critics have labeled this development a strategic retreat by Greece, citing a series of events that led to the current situation. Tensions escalated in April 2024 following Turkey's vocal opposition to Greece's initial announcement of extensive marine protected areas at the 9th International Our Ocean Conference. In response, the Greek government scaled back its plans, limiting the parks strictly to Greek territorial waters—within 6 nautical miles in the Aegean and 12 nautical miles in the Ionian Sea.
This shift in strategy represents a significant alteration from earlier plans, which included areas extending beyond territorial waters into potential Exclusive Economic Zones (EEZ). Analysts suggest that this concession was influenced by concerns over Turkey's increasingly assertive stance and reactions from some circles within Greece who view such expansions as unilateral moves.
The decision has been met with criticism from those who argue that it compromises Greece's sovereign rights and fails to uphold national interests. They caution that this could signal a lack of political will within the Greek government to defend these rights on the international stage.
As the meeting between the Greek and Turkish leaders approaches, the outcome of these discussions remains uncertain. However, the implications of this decision are likely to resonate both domestically and internationally, affecting Greece's diplomatic and geopolitical standing in the region.