Greece rebukes Turkish claims as Ankara tries new fait accompli in the Aegean

03/02/2026

January 30, 2026

Defense Minister Nikos Dendias on Friday responded to Thursday’s statement by the Turkish Defense Ministry claiming that two maritime notices NAVTEX recently issued by Turkey last week are of “indefinite validity.” Turkey called on Athens to coordinate with Ankara on all research activities in areas of the Aegean Sea Turkey considers part of its continental shelf.

Turkey has reportedly said that any research activity east of the 25th meridian, which notionally divides the Aegean Sea in half, should be conducted in coordination with Turkish authorities, according to sources at the Turkish Defense Ministry.

“It is obvious that Greece cannot take such an approach seriously, and the neighboring country knows this well,” Dendias told Alpha Radio on Friday.

It is the first time Ankara has issued a Navtex without an expiration date. Previous notices from both sides had been temporary, issued in response to their respective activities in the region.

“This is a move that does not help [Turkey’s] relationship with Greece. We are not willing to consider it an action that Greece would be committed to respond to in a way that would allow Turkey to assume the Navtex is effectively imposed. We have not seen anything like this until now, and it is completely out of line,” he added.

Greece has repeatedly rejected Turkish claims in the Aegean as revisionist and against international law.

Asked about the upcoming meeting between Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Dendias said that “it is not the defense minister’s job” to comment, daily kathimerini reported.

PS Ankara is setting a “nice” agenda for Mitsotakis-Erdogan meeting, given the fact that FM Hakan Fidan urged Greece two weeks ago “to solve the Aegena issue once and for all.”
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