Turkey has challenged Greece's newly announced Special Spatial Framework for Industry and Supply Chain, claiming the planning invalidly covers disputed Aegean Sea formations.
Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman Öncü Keçeli stated in a post on social media platform X on August 28, 2026, that the Greek initiative carries no legal effect for Turkey regarding interconnected Aegean Sea issues.
Keçeli directly questioned Greek sovereignty over islands, islets, and rocky formations across the region. He asserted that the Greek Ministry of Environment's framework attempts to encompass geographic formations whose sovereignty was never transferred to Greece through international treaties.
Athens Declaration and Aegean Maritime Disputes
In his statement, Keçeli emphasized that Turkey maintains its position that both countries must adopt an approach consistent with the 2023 Athens Declaration on Friendship and Good Neighbourliness. He added that Ankara remains ready to engage in cooperation with Greece as one of the two coastal states bordering the Aegean Sea.
Greece and Turkey, both NATO members, have long maintained conflicting claims over maritime boundaries, continental shelf rights, and territorial airspace in the Aegean Sea. The term grey zones refers to a longstanding diplomatic dispute concerning small islands and islets whose sovereignty Ankara claims was not explicitly resolved by historical agreements, including the 1923 Treaty of Lausanne and the 1947 Treaty of Paris.
Escalating Tensions and Airspace Incidents
The challenge over the industrial framework is part of a broader pattern of escalating diplomatic and military friction. On August 20, 2026, Turkey raised similar objections bringing back grey zone claims following Greece's publication of its spatial plan for renewable energy sources.
Military encounters have also intensified over the Aegean Sea. On August 28, 2026, a Turkish unmanned aerial vehicle flew in the airspace between the Greek islands of Samothrace and Lemnos, prompting the Hellenic Air Force to scramble F-16 fighter jets to intercept the drone.
That interception followed another diplomatic dispute on August 27, 2026, when Turkey accused Greece of violating the demilitarized status of Rhodes by planning an unmanned aerial vehicle base on the island.
Greek Response and Ongoing Disputes
Greek Foreign Minister Giorgos Gerapetritis addressed the rising tensions on August 28, 2026, stating that Turkey reacts because Greece is actively defending its sovereign rights.
The mutual statements come amid an increase in reported airspace violations over the Aegean Sea as both governments navigate energy, industrial, and maritime territorial policies.
