Greece has lodged a formal diplomatic demarche with Turkey following Turkish announcements regarding Special Spatial Frameworks and the declaration of two national marine parks.
The Greek embassy in Ankara delivered the protest document to the Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs under direct instructions from Greece's Minister of Foreign Affairs, according to diplomatic sources.
During the meeting, the Turkish Foreign Ministry presented formal Notes Verbales to reiterate positions that Ankara had already made public. A Note Verbale is a standard, unsigned diplomatic document used between governments to state official positions.
A demarche represents a formal diplomatic protest delivered between sovereign states. Athens is the capital of Greece, while Ankara serves as the capital of Turkey, with both neighboring nations bordering the Aegean Sea.
Objections over maritime jurisdiction
Athens rejects the Turkish claims, describing them as arbitrary and completely lacking any legal basis. The Greek government stressed that the sovereign status of the Aegean region is firmly established by international treaties.
Furthermore, the Greek side maintains that Turkey's declaration of national marine parks carries no legal effect because the designated zones extend into areas outside Turkish jurisdiction and fall within the Greek continental shelf.
The continental shelf refers to the seabed and subsoil extending beyond a nation's territorial sea. Maritime limits in the Aegean Sea have long been a subject of diplomatic discussion between the two sovereign neighbors.
Diplomatic outreach and international institutions
Greece confirmed that it will continue to raise the dispute before European and international institutions. Officials stated that Athens will highlight any action it considers to be a violation of international law or an infringement on Greek sovereign rights.
Greece is a member of the European Union, an economic and political union of European states. Member nations frequently bring maritime boundary concerns and international law matters before European bodies for diplomatic review.
