Greece reiterates controversial marine park bid

ATHENS

Athens intends to extend its territorial waters and set up a second marine park in the Aegean Sea, Greek Foreign Minister George Gerapetritis said on Jan. 16

Speaking at the parliament, Gerapetritis underscored the government’s steps to bolster Greece’s maritime sovereignty, citing the establishment of the first Aegean marine park, the completion of the country’s marine spatial planning (MSP) framework and maritime agreements with Egypt and Italy.

Gerapetritis affirmed that dialogue with Türkiye would continue, but said that “national sovereignty is nonnegotiable.”

The issue of territorial waters and marine parks in the Aegean remains highly sensitive between Greece and Türkiye.

In a similar development in 2025, Türkiye reiterated that Greece’s recent marine park declarations carry no legal weight and urged its neighbor to avoid unilateral measures.

In a statement on July 21, 2025, the Turkish Foreign Ministry said that Greece’s marine park declarations would have no “legal consequences regarding the interconnected Aegean issues between the two countries, including certain geographic features whose sovereignty has not been granted to Greece by international treaties.”

 Greece takes delivery of first French-made frigate

The minister’s remarks came a day after Greece formally took delivery of the first of four new French-made Belharra frigates.

Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said the frigate, named Kimon, "is one more link in a continuous effort to modernize the armed forces, both in terms of the assets they possess and in strengthening human resources, so that our country's deterrent capability is not questioned by anyone."