Turkey: Marine Parks and Geopolitical Ambitions in the Aegean

Turkey's recent announcement to create marine parks in the Aegean, mirroring a Greek initiative, is linked to the geopolitical game in the Eastern Mediterranean. The deliberate exclusion of Kastellorizo indicates Turkey's strategy of challenging Greek sovereignty under environmental pretenses.

Through 'green' rhetoric and the 'Blue Homeland' doctrine, Turkey aims to undermine Greece's sovereign rights, with Kastellorizo at the center. Ankara seeks to challenge Kastellorizo's influence on the EEZ, using technical announcements to create impressions.

Turkey is not a party to the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, and its actions do not produce legal results. Greek actions are based on international law, while Turkey disregards the right of islands to maritime zones.

Regional alliances with Egypt and Israel are important for stability. The agreement to delineate the EEZ with Egypt and the strategic cooperation with Israel consolidate common interests.

Greek diplomacy leverages support from the US and the EU. Turkish aggression is linked to the control of the occupied territories and the pursuit of maritime dominance in the Eastern Mediterranean, affecting the EEZ of the Republic of Cyprus.

The 'marine parks' are a new version of the same aggressive strategy.