Imia Islets: The 'Grey Zones' Claim and its Legacy

The 30th anniversary of the Imia crisis brings back memories of 1996, when Turkey first challenged Greek sovereignty in the Aegean Sea, raising the issue of 'grey zones'.

In 1995, Greece had included the Aegean islets in the NATURA 2000 program and was planning their settlement. The incident with the grounding of the Turkish ship on Imia in December 1995 led to the first official challenge to Greek sovereignty by Turkey.

The crisis escalated with initiatives to raise flags and military mobilization, before de-escalating with American intervention and an agreement to return to the status quo ante: no ships, no troops, no flags.

However, the status quo ante was not fully restored. Imia no longer hosts the activities it used to, such as grazing, and the approach of Greek fishing boats provokes a reaction from the Turkish Coast Guard. Even access by Greek authorities is limited.

The theory of 'grey zones' was revealed by Turkish Foreign Minister E. Gionensai in 1996, and since then Turkey has been challenging Greek sovereignty over islands, islets, and rocks in the Aegean.

Greece rejects Turkish claims and conducts visits to islets that Turkey considers 'grey zones'. Recently, Athens included Kinaros, Levitha, and Mavra in the Southern Cyclades Marine Park.

However, Imia remains in an unclear status, creating a bad precedent in the Aegean Sea.